Informal Care Provided by Family Caregivers : Experiences of Older Adults With Multimorbidity

Informal care given by family caregivers is an important part of the total care provided to older adults with multimorbidity. The current study aimed to describe how older adults with multimorbidity experienced care from family caregivers. Interviews were conducted with 24 participants (mean age = 86 years). Older adults with multimorbidity felt gratitude toward family caregivers for their willingness to help with everyday life and for representing their interests in contacts with health care providers. Family caregivers also had a significant impact on older adults’ psychological well-being. However, the results also showed that older adults often felt they were a burden to their family caregivers and that their independence might be reduced. Older adults with multimorbidity should have the opportunity to be more involved in and have more influence over their health care so that they do not have to depend on representation by family caregivers