The experience of sons caring for a parent with dementia

Abstract

This study explored the experiences of sons caring for a parent with dementia. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of sons (n = 13) in a rural part of Ireland. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed for common themes. The key themes that emerged were 'the parental bond', 'a binding role', 'coordinating care and support' and a 'getting on with it' approach to care. The study highlighted the commitment of sons to their caregiving role and the strong sense of duty that motivated them to provide care. The findings suggested that while many aspects of the caregiving experience such as lack of information and support are gender neutral, there are differences in the caregiving experiences of men and women in how they view their relationship with their parent and in the management of their caregiving role that merit further investigation.

Informal care-giving and mental ill-health - differential relationships by workload, gender, age and area-remoteness in a UK region

“…The NILS does not provide information on the health of the care recipient or on their relationship with the caregiver; however, previous studies found these to influence the mental health of caregivers (Etters et al . , McDonnell & Ryan ). Our data did supply some information on multimorbidity of the household and the analysis adjusted for this.…”

Quality of Life on the Views of Older Family Carers of People with Dementia

“…Participants' constant worry, as well as sense of failure, guilt, frustration, distress, and resentment are also considered important aspects of psychological well-being in the literature (Carers Trust, 2011;Steptoe et al, 2015) (McDonnell & Ryan, 2014;Santos, Sousa, Ganem, Silva, & Dourado, 2013). Older carers coping strategies, such as having positive view about their situation or having increased spirituality, were also been identified in other qualitative investigations as mitigating factors of negative feelings people with dementia.…”

Co-Designing Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Environments: Unravelling the Situated Context of Informal Dementia Care

“…Whether an ICP enlists the system to provide direct assistance (e.g., activity prompting), retrieve care-related information, and coordinate care between AAL and multiple care partners, the decision and process by which ICPs entrust care to another party cannot be taken for granted. For instance, while an ICP may find caring stressful or burdensome, he or she may also ascribe significant meaning to their care roles; they may derive a sense of pride or view caring as a natural continuation of bonds with PwDs [10, 12, 52–54]. Such mixed feelings may lend themselves to fluctuating preferences for AAL support, depending on moods, stress levels, and current circumstances.…”