title: Understanding the experience of adult daughters caring for an ageing parent, a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to describe how adult daughters experience caring for a frail older parent at home.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In the near future the ageing of the population will have a major impact on the demand for formal and informal long-term care. Relatives, especially spouses and adult children are the main providers of informal care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative research methodology was used to study the experience of adult daughters caring for their frail older parents. A phenomenological research perspective was used to better understand the daily experiences of caring for an ageing parent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected using open-ended interviews. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were subject to thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven women between 40-70 years of age participated in this study. Inductive coding of the interview data led to four main themes: being a caregiver as a natural process in life, the perception and consequences of caregiving activities, sharing care and finding a good balance between caring for an ageing parent and other responsibilities. Caregiving activities could be divided into visible and invisible activities and generated different feelings. The visible activities were more easily shared with other family members and professionals than the invisible ones. The women who struggled the most and tended to have a higher level of burden were those who experienced less support from their family.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provided more insight into the experiences women have when caring for a parent. Supporting family networks that help in both visible and invisible activities may prevent overburden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consumer-led care and the active participation of the informal caregiver in the decision-making process for building the care plan need to become more prominent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.|Department of Nursing, Karel De Grote University College, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lopez Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sibyl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anthierens
authors.affiliation: University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Assche
authors.affiliation: University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Welvaert
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wens
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Remmen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support
keywords: chronic care; frail older persons; home care; informal caregiving; qualitative research