Caregiving and Carereceiving: An Investigation of Burdens and Satisfactions

307 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993.The purpose of this study was to investigate, through an interview process, using case studies, both the burdens and satisfactions of the caregiving relationship between the informal family caregiving network and the dependent, older person living in the same home.The case studies for this research were 10 families who were involved in a caregiver/care-receiver shared-residence situation of at least one year's duration. A total of 26 individuals from the 10 families were interviewed. The primary method of data collection was audio taped, semi-structured, open-ended, in-depth, collaborative interviews. In addition, data were collected through the use of a pre-screening phone interview, a cognitive status inventory, the SELF-Scale, the Household Conditions and Resources Questionnaire, and the Burden Interview Scale.Profiles were developed for each individual interviewed, using responses to the open-ended interview instruments, the audio tapes, the Burden Interview Scale, the SELF-Scale, and the Household Conditions and Resources Questionnaire. Specific issues and factors generated by the respondents within the households as well as across households were compared and contrasted. The final profiles of the households were used to check for inconsistencies and similarities.This study strongly suggests that the key element impacting burden and satisfaction in shared-residence caregiving situations is the quality of the relationship between the caregiver and care-receiver. It appears that the quality of the relationship is significantly affected by sense of family orientation, reciprocity, level of support, and conflicts. Also, but to a lesser degree, communication, interaction, and shared activities contribute to that quality. Implications for caregiving/care-receiving interventions are considered.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD