| 1. |
- Eriksson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
-
Experiences of long-term home care as an informal caregiver to a spouse : Gendered meanings in everyday life for female carers
- 2013
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Older People Nursing. - Oxford : Wiley. - 1748-3735 .- 1748-3743. ; 8:2, s. 159-165
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. One of the most common circumstances in which a woman gradually steps into a long-term caregiver role at home involves caring for a spouse suffering from dementia. Little attention has been paid to examining the experiences and motivations of such caregivers from a feminist perspective. Methods. Twelve women, all of whom were informal caregivers to a partner suffering from dementia, were interviewed on the following themes: the home, their partner's disease, everyday life, their relationship and autonomy. The results of these interviews were analysed in relation to gender identity and social power structures using a feminist perspective. Results. The findings of this study show that the informants frequently reflected on their caregiving activities in terms of both general and heteronormative expectations. The results suggest that the process of heteropolarisation in these cases can be an understood as a consequence of both the spouse's illness and the resulting caring duties. Also, the results suggest that the act of caring leads to introspections concerning perceived 'shortcomings' as a caregiver. Finally, the results indicate that it is important to recognise when the need for support in day-to-day caring is downplayed. Conclusions. Women view their caregiving role and responsibilities as paramount; their other duties, including caring for themselves, are deemed less important. We stress that the intense commitment and responsibilities that women experience in their day-to-day caring must be acknowledged and that it is important for healthcare professionals to find mechanisms for providing choices for female caregivers without neglecting their moral concerns. Implications for practice. Female carers face difficulties in always living up to gendered standards and this need to be considered when evaluating policies and practices for family carers.
|
|
| 2. |
- Eriksson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
-
His helping hands-adult daughter's perceptions' of fathers with caregiving responsibility
- 2013
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Social Work. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1369-1457 .- 1468-2664. ; 16:2, s. 235-248
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Women's position as informal carers has been taken for granted in social policy and social professions, while relatively few discussions have elaborated on caring as a later life activity for men and the impact on family care. This study explores the processes connected to informal caregiving in later life through the position of adult daughters of older fathers engaged with long-term caregiving responsibilities for a partner. A sample of eight daughters, with fathers having primary caregiving responsibility for their ill partners was recruited and in-depth interviews were carried out and analysed according to qualitative procedures. The daughters' descriptions of their relationships with their fathers show that being an older man who engages in caring can have a positive outcome on relations. Even if some of the daughters have doubts about their fathers “masculine authenticity”, all of them appear to cherish “his helping hands” as a carer and closer more intimate relationships with their fathers. Caring for an old and frail spouse may potentially present alternative ways of being a man beyond traditional ‘male activities’ and that caring might also sometimes involve a re-construction of gender identities. It is suggested that social work professionals may use a gendered understanding to assess and work strategically with daughters and other family members who support caring fathers.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Eriksson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
-
Transitions in men's caring identities : experiences from home-based care to nursing home placement.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Older People Nursing. - : Wiley. - 1748-3735 .- 1748-3743. ; 3:2, s. 131-7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives. The aim of this study is to describe, from a gender identity perspective, the experiences of older men involved in the process of caring for a partner at home and the placement into a nursing home. Background. Few studies have paid attention to the importance of gender when considering the social experiences of older men providing care for an ill spouse and finally placing a partner in a nursing home. Further understanding is much needed of how older men experience the process of caring for a spouse from a gender identity perspective. Design. A qualitative constructivist approach was adopted for this study. Participants. Data consists of interviews with seven men that have been informal carers and experienced the placement of their wife in a nursing home. Methods. Interviews were analysed with a constructivist approach. Results. The results indicate that men go through two transitions in their gender identity during the caregiving process and placement. From the mutual loving relationship of being a loving husband, the social responsibility of daily care of their wives changes the situation into that of being a caring husband, and finally with the move to a nursing home there is a transition from intimate care to a relationship based on friendship. Conclusions. The results show that older caregiving men undergo a process involving a reconstruction of gender identity. To formally recognize men's caring activities and to make them sustainable, we believe that men in an informal caring relationship need support. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses need to recognize the identity struggles resulting in sadness and suffering that are related to changes in men's lives during the caregiving process. Understanding the dynamics and changes that occur when men take on a caring task is important for the development of their role as carers.
|
|
| 5. |
- Hellström, Ingrid, et al.
(författare)
-
Development of older men's caregiving roles for wives with dementia.
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. - : Wiley. - 0283-9318 .- 1471-6712. ; 31:4, s. 957-964
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This secondary analysis of qualitative interviews describes how older Swedish men approach the caregiver role for a wife with dementia, over time. An increasing number of male caregivers will become primary caregivers for partners living with dementia at home, and they will likely be caregivers for an extended period of time. It has been stated that caregiving experiences influence how older men think of themselves. The theoretical starting point is a constructivist position, offering an understanding of older caregiving men's constructions and reconstructions of themselves and their caregiver roles. Seven men, who were cohabiting with their wives, were interviewed on up to five occasions at home during a 5- to 6-year period. The findings comprise three themes; me and it, me despite it, it is me, depict how these men gradually take on and normalise the caregiving tasks, and how they develop and internalise a language based on their caring activities. The results provide understanding about the relationship between men as caregivers and how this influences them as individuals. By careful attention to each caregiving man's individual needs rather than making gendered assumptions about men and caring, the aim of the caregiver support for men might best target men's own meaning to the caring in their the everyday practices.
|
|
| 6. |
- Sandberg, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Att lära sig vårda på äldre dar
- 2010. - 1
-
Ingår i: Vårdpedagogiska utmaningar. - Stockholm : Liber. - 9789147084708 ; , s. 248-266
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Sandberg, Jonas, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
-
From alert commander to passive spectator : older male carers' experience of receiving formal support
- 2009
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Older People Nursing. - : Wiley. - 1748-3735 .- 1748-3743. ; 4:1, s. 33-40
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to describe older male carers' experience of receiving formal support. Background. To older male carers, creating new roles seems to be important. Their need for support in their caregiving is poorly understood. Design. A qualitative approach with a critical perspective on men and masculinities was used. Participants. Focus groups comprising a total of 11 men were used. Methods. Qualitative content analysis was adopted. Results. Three categories of response were found: `using ad hoc solutions for maintaining a protective environment', `coping but being left behind' and `recapturing the caregiving role'. Discussion. Not only the quantity of support services offered to older male carers but also their quality dimension, based on a genuine understanding of the men's support needs, must be addressed. Conclusions. Professional caregivers attempt to relieve the men of their care obligations entirely. A reciprocal arrangement involving the men as partners, instead, may help them to regard their caring experience as valuable, which is important to their self-image. Relevance to clinical practice. These men's socially based networks need to be recognized by professional caregivers as important, to reframe the men's identity and notion of masculinity.
|
|
| 9. |
- Sandberg, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
"It feels like a defoliation" : older men´s notions of informal support as primary caregivers
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Norma : Nordic journal for masculinity studies. - 1890-2138. ; 3:1, s. 48-61
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little interest has been given to painting a broader picture of men’s relation to caring and care giving activities and when it has, it has often tended to uphold stereotypic notions regarding men’s attitudes to caring activities. This article explores older men’s account of becoming and being primary caregivers as a result of unexpected life events. By interviewing eleven older men in three focus group sessions questions about masculinity and the cultural understanding about being older men in relation to caregiving and support was approached. In our result we describe the caregiving men’s social and personal changes as a consequences of caregiving as a defoliation process where the difficulty in upholding relationships with unconventional men and the caregiving men’s difficulty in upholding relations with people, who embrace hegemonic ideals about masculinity, is framing their lives as caregiving men. From this position caregiving men reach out and connect with other men who share the same experiences. We suggest that in the network of men who are, and is about to become, primary caregivers, the principle of “paying it forward” seems to be understood as the most valued support. Paying it forward help the men to uphold their caring experience as valuable and gives the men a position as skilled.
|
|
| 10. |
- Sandberg, Jonas, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
-
Keeping the family balance : adult daughters' experiences of roles and strategies when supporting caring fathers
- 2009
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Social Work. - : Taylor and Francis. - 1369-1457 .- 1468-2664. ; 12:2, s. 233-245
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Scandinavian countries represent a progressive approach to gender equality and transitions of traditional gender roles but little attention has been paid to gender equality in old age and how normative constructions of gender intersect in the lives of family carers. The aim of this study was to understand how adult daughters experience their roles and strategies when supporting fathers caring for an ill mother. A sample of eight daughters shared their experiences through in-depth interviews. The findings show that the daughters provide substantial and crucial effort and are intimately involved in the caring for their father and the sole contributors towards the emotional support of their fathers. They tend to devote a lot of energy towards picturing their family as 'normal' in terms of the family members adopting traditional roles and activities inside as well as outside the family context. In conclusion, the lack of understanding about gender as a 'norm producer' is something that needs to be further elaborated upon in order for professionals to encounter norm-breaking behaviours. The daughters' position as family carers is often assumed and taken for granted since the intersecting structures that impact on the situations of the daughters are largely invisible.
|
|
