Coping as a Caregiver for an Elderly Family Member

Abstract

With nearly 30% of the adult U.S. population acting as caregivers for sick, disabled, or elderly family members, it is imperative that caregivers become better equipped to cope with this challenging role. Although caregiving is regarded as an arduous endeavor, caring for an older family member may actually produce positive experiences. This study examines how caregivers use communication as a tool to cope with caring for an older family member. Over a span of 15 months, more than 150 caregiver stories were gathered from AgingCare.com, analyzed thematically, and categorized. The results show that stories utilize emotion-based techniques, including humor (20%), positive framing (16%), and acceptance (11%), to reveal that lasting, meaningful bonds can develop between caregivers and caregivers' relatives. These techniques allow caregivers to redefine their familial role and to find comfort in disheartening situations. Thus, coping is a truly communicative event since emotions can facilitate behaviors directed at ailing family members.

Silent voices: Transition experiences of family members caring for relatives with dementia

“…Many of the participants in the present study entered their formal caregiving role once their relatives were diagnosed with dementia. Hence, the majority of the participants in the current study did not have a long time to ease into the caregiving role in contrast to the findings of Alpert and Womble (2015). Caregiving was a new and different reality to what they were accustomed to and it took time for them to find their feet and acclimatise.…”

“…In a study by Day and Higgins (2015), one caregiver described how her mother’s personality changed from somebody she understood and knew well to somebody unpredictable. According to Alpert and Womble (2015), when a person becomes a caregiver, they ease into their role over time, and gradually assume responsibility for their duties as the relative for whom they are caring changes due to the disease process. This easing into the role of caregiver contradicts the findings of the present study as the participants in the current study felt that they did not have a long time to ease into the caregiving role.…”

A Multicenter Pilot Study of Burden Among Caregivers of Geriatric Rehabilitation Patients With Neuromusculoskeletal Diseases

“…Because these patients require assistance managing the disease and performing activities of daily living, many seek support from family members or paid professional caregivers. Caregivers therefore play a greater and more active role in the coordination and provision of care for these patients (Alpert & Womble, 2014;Byun & Evans, 2015;McLennon, Bakas, Jessup, Habermmann, & Weaver, 2014). As a part of Turkish culture, care of the elderly is usually undertaken by families, which means that there are no direct financial costs for care.…”

Effectiveness of In-person Tele-support Management on Perceived Burden, Health-promoting Practices, and Sense of Coherence among Caregivers of Older Adults with Parkinson’s Disease

“…Though there are options for 24-hour care in residential facilities or professional caregiving agencies, many PD older adults and their families may not rely on any of these options for caregiving needs due to expensive cost of professional health care, preference to reside in their own homes, or cultural obligation imply expectation of family-oriented caregiving [3] . Low and middle-income countries relied on informal caregivers to care for elderly family members because of the lack of financial support provided [4,5] .…”