Breaking frames to create empathy: interaction between care practitioners and clients in homecare visits

Abstract

Eldercare practitioners face pressures to make care work more efficient as the population ages and public resources become diminished in many countries. This study focuses on how empathic care is constructed during care practitioner–client interactions. The data are derived from observing seven care practitioners’ full work shifts in public homecare. With the help of positioning theory, our analysis identifies four positive deviations where breaking out of the medical and basic care frames opens up opportunities to form an empathic relationship and treat the client not only as a patient but also as a person on their life continuum.