As caregivers take control of their newly chaotic lives, they become more active and assertive in decision making and, not coincidentally, better caregivers. Future research and nursing interventions should focus on this process of taking charge to make our support of home care providers more meaningful and useful. Another issue needing further exploration is the preponderance of female caregivers, regardless of the age or relationship of the care recipient. As Anderson and Elfert (1989) pointed out, health professionals often emphasize the concept of family when discussing home health care, but in fact, it is almost always the women who assume the burden. They argue that this results in a devaluation of the work done in home care, as it is not reimbursed. Perhaps our belief that home care is less costly should be reexamined, both in terms of monetary and nonmonetary costs.

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Family home care of the elderly has become a primary focus of nursing theory, practice, and research. Traditional study of home care of the elderly, particularly the cognitively impaired, has focused on the experience of the caregiver. There is a need for consideration of the perception of the care recipient and the entire family unit. A model to explain the characteristics of the elderly care recipient, as well as theoretic and methodologic implications, are offered.