Repatterning care: women's proactive management of family caregiving demands.
Caregiving frequently is framed as a family issue when, in practice, women bear the primary responsibility. The goal of this feminist grounded theory study of women's caring was to explain the complex process of family caring by women within the current context of health and social reform. One finding of this study was that women use a process of repatterning, that is, reorganizing caring activities, to reduce or overcome the negative effects of caring demands. These findings make visible both the losses and gains of caring women as they learn and employ the expert strategies of anticipating, setting ground rules, juggling time, and relinquishing and replenishing. These findings draw attention to the complexity of caring and provide direction for health professionals in their work with individuals and families and in lobbying for necessary resources.
Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, E3B 5A3. wuest@unb.ca
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Wuest
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D022143:Family Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D017748:Time Management / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health