Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context

Abstract Background Family caregivers, such as partners or other family members, are highly important to people who desire to stay at home in the last phase of their life-limiting disease. Despite the much-investigated challenges of family caregiving for a patient from one’s direct social network, l...

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Autores principales:	Maaike M. Haan, Gert Olthuis, Jelle L. P. van Gurp
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	BMC 2021
Materias:	Caregivers Family care Informal care Palliative care Ethics Caregiver burden Special situations and conditions RC952-1245
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/21481ecb6b954d10873ca233d8eac20d
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:21481ecb6b954d10873ca233d8eac20d2021-11-28T12:09:57ZFeeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context10.1186/s12904-021-00868-21472-684Xhttps://doaj.org/article/21481ecb6b954d10873ca233d8eac20d2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-021-00868-2https://doaj.org/toc/1472-684XAbstract Background Family caregivers, such as partners or other family members, are highly important to people who desire to stay at home in the last phase of their life-limiting disease. Despite the much-investigated challenges of family caregiving for a patient from one’s direct social network, lots of caregivers persevere. To better understand why, we aimed to specify how normative elements – i.e. what is considered good or valuable – shape family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings. Methods From September 2017 to February 2019, a total of 15 family caregivers, 13 bereaved family caregivers, and 9 patients participated in one-time in-depth interviews. The data were qualitatively analyzed following a grounded theory approach. Results Central to this study is the persistent feeling of being called to care. By whom, why, and to what? Family caregivers feel called by the patient, professionals entering normal life, family and friends, or by oneself; because of normative elements of love, duty, or family dynamics; to be constantly available, attentive to the patient while ignoring their own needs, and assertive in managing the caring situation. The prospect of death within the palliative care context intensifies these mechanisms with a sense of urgency. Conclusions Our analysis showed a difference between feeling called upon in the caring situation on the one hand, and how caregivers tend to respond to these calls on the other. Taking into account the inherent normative and complex nature of family caregiving, the pressing feeling of being called cannot – and perhaps should not – simply be resolved. Caring might be something families just find themselves in due to being related. Rather than in feeling called upon per se, the burden of care might lie in the seeming limitlessness to which people feel called, reinforced by (implicit) social expectations. Support, we argue, should enable caregivers to reflect on what norms and values guide their responses while acknowledging that caring, despite being burdensome, can be a highly important and rewarding part of the relationship between partners or family members.Maaike M. HaanGert OlthuisJelle L. P. van GurpBMCarticleCaregiversFamily careInformal carePalliative careEthicsCaregiver burdenSpecial situations and conditionsRC952-1245ENBMC Palliative Care, Vol 20, Iss 1, Pp 1-15 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Caregivers Family care Informal care Palliative care Ethics Caregiver burden Special situations and conditions RC952-1245
spellingShingle	Caregivers Family care Informal care Palliative care Ethics Caregiver burden Special situations and conditions RC952-1245 Maaike M. Haan Gert Olthuis Jelle L. P. van Gurp Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context
description	Abstract Background Family caregivers, such as partners or other family members, are highly important to people who desire to stay at home in the last phase of their life-limiting disease. Despite the much-investigated challenges of family caregiving for a patient from one’s direct social network, lots of caregivers persevere. To better understand why, we aimed to specify how normative elements – i.e. what is considered good or valuable – shape family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings. Methods From September 2017 to February 2019, a total of 15 family caregivers, 13 bereaved family caregivers, and 9 patients participated in one-time in-depth interviews. The data were qualitatively analyzed following a grounded theory approach. Results Central to this study is the persistent feeling of being called to care. By whom, why, and to what? Family caregivers feel called by the patient, professionals entering normal life, family and friends, or by oneself; because of normative elements of love, duty, or family dynamics; to be constantly available, attentive to the patient while ignoring their own needs, and assertive in managing the caring situation. The prospect of death within the palliative care context intensifies these mechanisms with a sense of urgency. Conclusions Our analysis showed a difference between feeling called upon in the caring situation on the one hand, and how caregivers tend to respond to these calls on the other. Taking into account the inherent normative and complex nature of family caregiving, the pressing feeling of being called cannot – and perhaps should not – simply be resolved. Caring might be something families just find themselves in due to being related. Rather than in feeling called upon per se, the burden of care might lie in the seeming limitlessness to which people feel called, reinforced by (implicit) social expectations. Support, we argue, should enable caregivers to reflect on what norms and values guide their responses while acknowledging that caring, despite being burdensome, can be a highly important and rewarding part of the relationship between partners or family members.
format	article
author	Maaike M. Haan Gert Olthuis Jelle L. P. van Gurp
author_facet	Maaike M. Haan Gert Olthuis Jelle L. P. van Gurp
author_sort	Maaike M. Haan
title	Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context
title_short	Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context
title_full	Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context
title_fullStr	Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context
title_full_unstemmed	Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context
title_sort	feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in dutch home settings in a palliative care context
publisher	BMC
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/21481ecb6b954d10873ca233d8eac20d
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Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context

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