Caring for family members with stroke : Chinese family caregivers' experiences

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of 15 caregivers from Hong Kong Chinese families who have been attending to elderly relatives with stroke in a home setting. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe, by means of in-depth interviews, the experience in Chinese families of caregiving for victims of stroke. It argues for the distinctiveness of the Chinese caregiving experience in terms of the impact the experience has on many aspects of their lives, such as beliefs, rituals, family structure, emotions, attitudes to illness and problem-solving skills. Interpretive explanations of what the perceived needs were and how they differed among Hong Kong Chinese family caregivers were inductively generated from the data using a qualitative approach. Data were collected utilizing two forms of reflection: interviews and memos. Audiotaped interviews were transcribed. Content analysis was used to analyze the interview data in this study. The researcher classified the data into categories according to the constant comparative method of content analysis. Four key themes emerged as the fami ly caregivers in this study explained their experiences: learning to cope with new demands; managing their own emotional responses; appraising kinship and community support; and maintaining a balance between caregiving needs and their own needs. These themes reflect the impact of caregiving on the Chinese family caregivers in this study and show that providing informal care for stroke survivors represents a significant hidden cost to Hong Kong society.