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Abstract. Informal carers’ telecare acceptance decisions depend on how their care recipients perceive telecare, yet this relationship has not been researched very much. This article draws on qualitative data gathered from informal carers to explore reciprocity in telecare perceptions within dyads of informal carers and care receivers. A 4-month intervention study was conducted from 2018 to 2019 in the Central Slovenia region. A purposive sample of 22 older adults and their informal carers tested two telecare solutions. Thematic analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti 8, with four themes emerging: 1. the benefits of telecare use for older adults; 2. reluctance, rejection or negative perceptions of telecare; 3. the potential violation of older adults’ privacy; and 4. the importance of external and internal information for effective telecare use. This study confirms that that telecare perception is dyadically interdependent. Keywords: assistive technologies, informal care, ageing in place, dyads, older adults

Background: Self-efficacy (SE) can be used to explain informal caregivers’ ability to cope with the challenges of caregiving. Although SE impacts informal caregivers’ subjective well-being, its effects have not yet been studied from the perspective of telecare use. This study aimed to explore informal caregivers’ perceptions of and associations between SE and subjective well-being when using different telecare functionalities. Methods: A four-month intervention study using a qualitative research design was conducted. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 informal caregivers of older people who tested one of two telecare devices in their homes. Results: Five task-specific dimensions of caregiver SE were identified that were shaped by telecare use: controlling upsetting thoughts about the care recipient, managing protective vigilance, obtaining support in emergency situations, managing caregiving, work, family life, and responding in a timely manner to changes in the care recipient’s daily routine. These SE dimensions were associated with caregivers’ subjective well-being. Conclusions: Telecare use may contribute to greater caregiver SE and higher subjective well-being. Therefore, future studies should pay more attention to these potential benefits of telecare. Additional dimensions of caregiver SE should be included in existing caregiver SE scales when examining caregiver SE related to telecare use.