Nurses as caregivers of elderly relatives: negotiating personal and professional boundaries.
Recent changes in patterns of care provision for the elderly have led to an increasing reliance on family care. Although caring has been found to be a central and common feature of the personal and professional lives of many women, this paper discusses the challenges faced by women who provide care in both their work and their family lives ("double-duty caregivers"). The author argues that the separation of paid caregiving and unpaid family caregiving in the conceptualization of elder care is problematic, particularly for health-care professionals. Findings from a qualitative study with registered nurses providing care to elderly relatives revealed that these women are located at the juncture of public and private domains of caregiving, where they must constantly negotiate the boundaries between their professional and personal caregiving roles. The findings highlight the need to explore the interface between women's family and work lives and the need for policies that promote the health of double-duty caregivers.
Ward-Griffin
Catherine
C
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada. cwg@.uwo.ca
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D033262:Narration; D020380:Needs Assessment; D017008:Negotiating / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009864:Ontario; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017748:Time Management; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology*; D016526:Workload