The experience of family care-givers and migrant paid care-givers' relief of burden

A contrasted qualitative analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID11199057
AuthorsCarmen De La Cuesta-Benjumea (0000-0003-2160-392X, University of Alicante, corresponding author), Brenda Roe (0000-0002-2625-9315, Edge Hill University)
Year2014
Volume34
Issue7
Pages1219-1242
Publication date2014-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x13000044
OpenAlexW2150314662
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited49

Older people are increasingly being cared for in the community across Europe. Dependent care in Spain largely remains a private issue involving family carers and migrant women from developing countries. Qualitative research on respite care has contributed to our understanding of respite as a subjective experience. Nonetheless, how care-givers relieve the burden of care is still not fully understood. Migrant care-givers are present in family life but their need for rest remains unseen. The aim of the study presented in this paper was to contrast family care-givers and migrant care-givers' strategies for relief from their caring role. Care-givers rest by thinking, doing and being but in a different manner from that of care-giving, that is: when they are a different person. To leave the life of care-giving is the general strategy that family care-givers use to rest from their care-giving selves while turning to one's own world describes the way migrant care-givers seek to relieve the burden of care. The comparative analysis shows that both strategies have in common the necessity to disconnect from the care-giving identity and that both migrant and family care-givers employ strategies that are false exits to a care-giving identity : they apparently relieve the burden of care. Respite goes beyond places, times and activities; as family care itself, it requires identity

Identity (music) · Qualitative research · Respite care · Sociology · Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Nursing · Psychology