The gaze and visibility of the carer: a Foucauldian analysis of the discourse of informal care

Abstract

Working from a Foucauldian perspective, this paper examines the discourse of informal care and addresses three questions. When was it first possible to speak of 'the informal carer'? What are the characteristics of the discourse of informal care? And, what are the conditions of the possibility of the informal carer's recognition? Following an analysis of the appearance and conceptualisation of the informal carer in policy and related discourse since the 1970s, the visibility of this figure is situated in the context of the historical transformation of the medical gaze. It is argued that two broad axes of the gaze's ongoing transformation-its devolution to 'relays' and its extension to the whole population and the 'whole person'-underpinned the shift in emphasis from care in the community to care by the community in the 1970s, and the associated development of the discourse of informal care.

Cancergazing? CA125 and post-treatment surveillance in advanced ovarian cancer

“…Importantly, those who are subjected to the gaze come to internalise it themselves and "relay" it through hierarchical social networks. In this way, power and social control become less "top-down" and instead come to permeate society, with individuals monitoring and controlling each other (Heaton, 1999). The end result is that individuals are increasingly implicated in monitoring themselves.…”

“…This account of disciplinary power is frequently criticised for not allowing sufficient scope for the agency of those who are subjected to it: "Under the scrutiny of the gaze … the patient becomes the passive and silent object of medical knowledge" (Rendell, 2004) -or an unwitting conduit of the medical gaze (Heaton, 1999). Interpreters of Foucault are divided on the question of how much his work evolved so as to deal with this criticism, but the issue has been taken up in subsequent literature in ways that are germane to this paper.…”

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“…65 However, several major studies conducted over the last four years have demonstrated that the Carers' Act has had a very limited impact and has been introduced in an arbitrary and piecemeal fashion. Consequently, assessment is largely a 'matter of chance', 66 with limited evidence of a separate assessment of carers' needs, 2,6,67 and little consistency in who gets an assessment. 6 Furthermore, even when their views are sought, carers frequently report that they are not listened to and that their input is rarely acted upon.…”

“…1,2 Despite their fairly late arrival on the scene, family carers now occupy centre stage in UK government policy, having being described by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, as the 'unsung heroes' of British life, who are essential to the fabric and character of Britain. 3 Such recognition stems from the growing realization that family carers are the lynchpin of community care, [4][5][6] providing 80% of all the care needed 7 at an estimated saving to the UK government of some £40 billion annually.…”

Prioritising rural authenticity: Community members' use of discourse in rural healthcare participation and why it matters

“…This methodological approach has been broadly used by others (Kantor, 2006;Mackey, 2006;Heartfield, 1996;Heaton, 1999). Our analytical framework is outlined below, based on Graham's (2005) suggested guideline for consistent interrogation of transcripts:…”