The purpose of this study was to explore male caregivers' perceptions of formal support. The men were caregivers of adults with cognitive impairment. The study involved secondary analysis of interview data on perceptions of support that had not been previously analyzed from the perspective of formal support. Techniques of data analysis used in grounded theory were applied to 62 guided interactive interviews conducted with 24 male caregivers during a period of 18 months. The men experienced a process of making concessions for care in the following four sequential stages: resisting, giving in, opening the door, and making the match. Personal barriers deterred the caregivers from seeking help, and once the caregivers engaged formal help the influence of characteristics of the health care system and individual staff members had both enabling and disabling effects. For caregivers whose use of formal support involved admitting their relative to a long-term care facility, the phase of making the match was followed by redesigning their caregiver role.

No abstract