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Family members provide the bulk of care to persons in later life, representing the vast majority of caregivers. However, studies confirm that men with a history of divorce are less likely than married men to view family members as potential caregivers. This chapter presents findings from a qualitative study on the experiences of 21 ex-wives who chose to provide mostly end-of-life care to their ex-husbands in mid- and late-life. We examine questions about the situational and motivating factors behind ex-wife caregivers’ decisions, and provide, as background, findings about their pre- and post-divorce relationships. Relational outcomes of the caregiving situation also are considered. Several themes emerge, including patterns of proximity and continued contact post-divorce, despite often chaotic former marital relationships; a desire to spare children from the burdens of care; and an opportunity to renew communication or connections with family through the process of caregiving. Implications of our findings include the need to acknowledge ex-spouses as potential caregivers and better understand the enduring bonds between ex-spouses.

Schizophrenia, a chronic mental disorder, poses enormous threat to the individual, family and society. The advent of deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill transferred the burden of care to families especially close relatives. Few studies have described the families' subjective views in this context. Hence, this study aimed to explore impacts of caregiving and coping strategies for family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

A descriptive qualitative design was employed, and 14 family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia attending federal neuropsychiatric hospital Enugu were purposively selected. A semi-structured interview guide was used to generate information, and the transcribed data were content analyzed using a thematic approach.

Three major themes and 16 subthemes were derived to reflect the perceived impact of caregiving and coping strategies of family caregivers, which include burden of care (physical-self neglect, ill health, sleep deprivation; psychological-gross irritability, ruminations; social-stigmatization, social restrictions, diminished connections, reduced productivity); positive aspects (heightened understanding; empathetic attitude, strengthened ties) and adaptive resources (acceptance, optimism, social support, spiritual devotion).

Family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia experience bio-psychosocial burden as a result of caregiving. Coping with challenges of caregiving can prevent distress and burnout. Hence, there is need for mental health professionals to recognize caregivers as person in need of emotional and practical support and care for the mentally ill in the context of a family-centered approach.

Purpose: Grandparents are common providers of childcare within the Caribbean region. Yet research on the implications of grandparent caregiving for older adults’ well-being is limited. This study examined gender differences in the relationship between grandparent caregiving and the life satisfaction of older adults in Jamaica.

Methodology: Using a sample of 1,622 grandparents 60 years and older drawn from the 2012 study “The Health and Social Status of Older Jamaicans,” we estimated binary logistic regression models to examine the association between the frequency of grandparent caregiving and the life satisfaction of grandparents.

Findings: Grandmothers were more likely than grandfathers to provide care. We did not find a statistically significant gender difference in the life satisfaction of caregiving grandparents. Yet, gender differences in the patterns of association between grandparent caregiving and life satisfaction were evident. Among grandmothers, both occasional and regular caregiving was associated with higher life satisfaction relative to non-caregivers. Among grandfathers, however, only regular caregiving was positively associated with life satisfaction.

Originality: This is the first population-based study within the Caribbean to examine gendered patterns of grandparent caregiving and the association with grandparents’ well-being. The findings of this study suggest that grandparent caregiving is beneficial to the well-being of older Jamaican men and women. This study challenges assumptions of gender norms that typically do not position men to be involved in caregiving roles, and to derive satisfaction from such roles, within Caribbean households. The authors suggest more attention should be given to interventions to encourage men to be actively involved in family caregiving.

Specifically feminist perspectives are largely absent from the developing discourse of elder abuse in the United Kingdom. This paper describes how focus groups were used to gather older women's understandings and experiences of elder abuse. A perspective on elder abuse that prioritises relationships, rather than action or behaviour, is proposed as central to assessing the relations of abuse in later life.

This paper aims to describe and understand the family experience of caregiving to their Alzheimer patients and to explore the impact of caregiving on the family’s caregiver well-being.

The study involved eight family caregivers from the outpatient department, specifically from the neurology-medical clinic. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used for data collection through in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Four themes emerged: caregiver perception, tension, the sense of duty and commitment and altruism and sacrifice. The experience of family caregivers was different from their experiences with other chronic illnesses.

The family caregivers experience new life when providing care to their patients with Alzheimer's. The impact of the process of caregiving on whole life appeared in both positive and negative aspects. The perception and awareness of family caregivers toward Alzheimer’s disease were poor.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the following questions. First, what are the experiences of family caregivers in caring for community-dwelling stroke survivors? Second, what services help or do not help the caregivers in managing their caregiving role?

A qualitative study was conducted with a total of six focus group interviews with 29 stroke caregivers selected using convenience sampling in a local community centre. All interviews were recorded and transcribed for content analysis.

The results pointed to three main themes working together to facilitate desirable outcomes in caregiving and prevent elder abuse: factors contributing to caregiver stress and factors that have a buffering effect on caregiver stress and unmet needs identified from caregivers’ experiences.

The authors found that there were a number of factors contributing to caregiver stress. The findings matched with the concept that caregiver stress should not be considered as the primary cause of elder abuse. Findings provided information for further research to investigate positive coping and adjustment for stroke survivors, caregivers and their families.

Policy makers and service providers may consider specific policies and tailor-made services to enhance the effectiveness of current practice. The themes emerging from the study could be further reviewed in a longitudinal way to explore the cost-effectiveness, the outcomes and trajectory of interventional programmes.

Education would be essential to let the public understand caregivers’ difficulties and needs. Prevention of elder abuse may be approached with a range of risk factors for both perpetrating and being elder abuse victim.

From the findings of the study, the authors found that there were service gaps within policy and interventions. Concrete suggestions for improving the public's attitude and public facilities/transport for the disabled were captured in the study. In addition to personal resilience, caregivers had a strong wish for a supportive environment and services that would facilitate a better caregiving outcome.

The population is aging. The desire to remain in one’s own home through the aging process appears universal. Home health caregivers provide a vital role in allowing people to age in place. Women, and in particular immigrant women, have become the face of home health caregivers. Caregiving is generational. Paid caregiving is viewed as a natural extension of a skill set women have used most of their adult life. Home health caregivers view their work as a continuation of their roles in the family and they often frame their work as providing services that family members cannot, or will not perform. Reimbursement for these services is problematic. Assigning a monetary value to caregiving seems callous, and as a result caregivers are underpaid and undervalued. Global push–pull factors and the creation of a gray economy also contribute to a devaluation of these jobs. Caregivers themselves are poor advocates for better pay and working conditions because they believe it commodifies a kinship like experience. The future of caregiving is problematic. Poor countries will suffer greatly exporting their women; rich countries will need a tremendous number of caregivers to match their demographics and women will be overwhelmed providing care for others and themselves.

Few studies have been conducted into the contextual and relational aspects of male caregiving that include analysis by gender and family relationships. The aim was to gain understanding of the experience of older men as caregivers for an ill spouse. A narrative approach was adopted for this study. Interviews were conducted with three older men between 65 and 78 years, who had been caring for their wives for between one and 12 years. Two main categories emerged: taking on a new and unfamiliar role, and learning to live with the new role. The results also show how the men seek to maintain continuity in their relationships with the wives they are caring for. The findings can be understood in the light of a major life transition of how older men providing care for a spouse create new roles and how they cope with the changes in the marital relationship. A sense of continuity in the process of caring is important for men to help them find the strength to continue as caregivers.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the profile of the Andalusian population in relation to the motivations that support family care for older people, considering multiple sociodemographic and classificatory variables, such as sex, age groups (18–29; 30–44; 45–59; 60 or older), caregiving experience, as well as their general opinions regarding care and decision-making related to it.

A quantitative study is presented to know the opinion of the Andalusian population regarding the motivations that support the family care of older people. The sample comprised 774 participants (18 years or older).

The results show that the majority of the Andalusian population believes that the reason why families care for older people is that it is considered a moral obligation, regardless of the resources available to them. Thus, two population profiles have been found to explain these beliefs. The first profile is made up of current or former caregivers who are 60 years of age or older; and the second profile is made up of people who believe that the family should be primarily responsible for caregiving, who are or have been caregivers and who believe that in the future, the family trend in caregiving will not be modified.

The value of this research lies in the implications of “family care” and “resources and motivations to care” studies today.

Research ethics and integrity stipulates that research must be conducted with responsibility towards the research community and should benefit the intended population. This chapter will share insights from an ongoing research programme to reduce family conflict in the context of dementia care while discussing the accompanying ethical considerations. Research into dementia care has primarily focused on improving outcomes for the care dyad, leaving the influence and input of the wider family unit under investigated. Family conflict can detrimentally impact the quality of care provided and leave caregivers vulnerable to psychosocial difficulties. Family conflict occurs in the context of dementia care but there is little research on how to reduce, or prevent, such conflict occurring. In this research programme, a systematic review investigated the effectiveness of interventions that include the wider family unit to reduce family conflict; only one study was included which evidenced the lack of interventions in this area. A qualitative scoping review was then conducted to explore the lived experiences of caregiving families with experience of family conflict and reported solutions. It was found that conflict occurred due to factors including care decisions and role transitions which impacted relationships and affected care provision. Solutions to conflict were less often reported, indicating an important gap in the literature. Interviews with Alzheimer's Society staff and volunteers revealed that stigma and denial surrounding dementia were prevalent, and families were often reluctant to seek external help. This research programme is currently establishing public patient involvement (PPI) to develop the research methodology and interview questions for people with dementia (PWD) and their family caregivers to explore their lived experiences and potential solutions to family conflict. To conclude, this research programme will propose a family-focused intervention aimed at systemic family conflict for those caring for someone with dementia.