Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder
Memory disorders have become a major public, social, and health concern among the aging population, and many of those who are affected are cared for at home by their spouse. The aim of this qualitative study was to describe the individual experiences of 10 older caregivers who were looking after a s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/2/95 |
| _version_ | 1797570794102980608 |
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| author | Riitta Turjamaa Johanna Salpakari Liisa Koskinen |
| author_facet | Riitta Turjamaa Johanna Salpakari Liisa Koskinen |
| author_sort | Riitta Turjamaa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Memory disorders have become a major public, social, and health concern among the aging population, and many of those who are affected are cared for at home by their spouse. The aim of this qualitative study was to describe the individual experiences of 10 older caregivers who were looking after a spouse with a memory disorder in 2016. Data were collected from volunteers who were recruited from a memory clinic at a Finnish health center using the thematic interview method and processed using inductive content analysis. The participants were six female and four male caregivers who had been married for over 10 years. The results indicated that caring for a spouse with a memory disorder involved a number of factors. These included the impact of social networks and changes in their everyday life, collaboration with service providers, and the caregivers’ well-being. However, our study showed that caregivers felt that the formal multiprofessional services they received were fragmented, which means that they were less likely to provide a holistic approach to caregivers’ situations. Better multiprofessional cooperation is needed in the community, including services such as memory clinics, home care and practical services, day centers, and short-term respite in care homes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:30:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dbd70d0942a74b639f1de2e4d91d5fe7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:30:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-dbd70d0942a74b639f1de2e4d91d5fe72023-11-19T21:29:18ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322020-04-01829510.3390/healthcare8020095Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory DisorderRiitta Turjamaa0Johanna Salpakari1Liisa Koskinen2School of Health Care, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandClinical Nurse Specialist, Kuopio University Hospital, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandSchool of Health Care, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandMemory disorders have become a major public, social, and health concern among the aging population, and many of those who are affected are cared for at home by their spouse. The aim of this qualitative study was to describe the individual experiences of 10 older caregivers who were looking after a spouse with a memory disorder in 2016. Data were collected from volunteers who were recruited from a memory clinic at a Finnish health center using the thematic interview method and processed using inductive content analysis. The participants were six female and four male caregivers who had been married for over 10 years. The results indicated that caring for a spouse with a memory disorder involved a number of factors. These included the impact of social networks and changes in their everyday life, collaboration with service providers, and the caregivers’ well-being. However, our study showed that caregivers felt that the formal multiprofessional services they received were fragmented, which means that they were less likely to provide a holistic approach to caregivers’ situations. Better multiprofessional cooperation is needed in the community, including services such as memory clinics, home care and practical services, day centers, and short-term respite in care homes.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/2/95formal careinformal carememory disordersmultiprofessional cooperationpeer supportspousal caregivers |
| spellingShingle | Riitta Turjamaa Johanna Salpakari Liisa Koskinen Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder Healthcare formal care informal care memory disorders multiprofessional cooperation peer support spousal caregivers |
| title | Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder |
| title_full | Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder |
| title_fullStr | Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder |
| title_short | Experiences of Older Spousal Caregivers for Caring a Person with a Memory Disorder |
| title_sort | experiences of older spousal caregivers for caring a person with a memory disorder |
| topic | formal care informal care memory disorders multiprofessional cooperation peer support spousal caregivers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/2/95 |
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