Skip to main content icon/video/no-internet
icon backReturn to Entries

Care Giving

Care giving is predominately used to describe the caretaking of someone who is chronically ill or disabled and is no longer able to care for him- or herself. Since this definition assumes that an individual was able at some point take care of him- or herself, it does not represent care of infants and young children. It does, however, include care giving for children with disabilities. The tasks associated in care giving of an infant, older child, adolescent, adult, or elderly person are basically the same. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, care giving consists of many emotional, financial, nursing, social, and homemaking services on a regular basis, including caring for someone who cannot dress, feed, go to the bathroom, or think for themselves; learning how to work with others on behalf of the cared-for person; worrying about what's wrong with this person, as well as wondering why no one ever asks how they are; and dreaming about being alone.

Defining Care Giver

Defining care giver has included the type, amount, volume, duration, and intensity of care provided; the place it is provided; and the relationship of care giver to care receiver. The National Family Care-givers Association (NFCA) has conducted care giver surveys to define the link between all care givers, and they found in no uncertain terms that the common bond of care giving is its emotional impact. Additionally, care givers share the following characteristics: longing for the miracle of normalcy; frustration as a result of changing family dynamics; isolation from living outside the norm; disappointment over the lack of understanding of noncaregivers; stress over the increased and enormous responsibilities; and resourcefulness in problem-solving abilities.

Approximately 30 percent of caregivers are men. National projected demographic trends suggest that increased longevity among men and women will increase the number of male and female caregivers across their life spans in the immediate future. As the 65 and over age group continues to grow toward an expected 79 million by 2050, future demands for informal care will greatly increase.

Informal care is usually provided in a home environment, by family or friends, and for an unspecified amount of time. Spouses will become the likely care givers in many informal care situations. Men predominantly will become informal care providers as they tend to be married or remarried in greater numbers than women. Husbands play an important role in caring for their wives with chronic illness. The choice of women and couples to remain childless or to have children later in life makes the need for caregiving spouses a growing priority.

Different Types of Care Giving

The nature and type of care giving may differ among care givers. Primary care givers deal with the majority of care needs, while secondary care givers supplement care provided by others. Regardless, the requirements are taxing on care givers.

Although most researchers studying care givers do not consider parenthood to qualify as care giving, exceptions are made for parents with children who have disabilities or debilitating illnesses. However, similar to the common bond discovered by NFCA among care givers, mothers, especially new mothers, often share common characteristics. These characteristics include feeling overwhelmed, unprepared, and unsure of their identity, which can result in exhaustion with a strong sense of loss and aloneness. Studies have shown that new mothers used the following words to describe their experiences: misery, low confidence, low self-esteem, fatigue, frustration and confusion, lack of satisfaction, disorientation, depression, and despair. Other studies have shown that mothers frequently experience high levels of ambivalence and guilt, which can lead to more serious manifestations of stress, leaving women feeling overloaded, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Additionally, women frequently report factors such as not enough time to relax, financial problems, home responsibilities, and problems at work among their major stressors, which can manifest into physical symptoms such as neck and shoulder pains, difficulty sleeping, headaches, aches and pains, and upset stomachs. Psychological symptoms include irritability, nervousness, and sadness, and regular crying spells.

...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles

Read next

More like this

Sage Recommends

We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.

close

Have you created a personal profile? Login or create a profile so that you can save clips, playlists and searches

close
close
close Signed In to profile You are signed in as:
close
Logged in Institution Institution