Narratives of health-promoting experiences by older husbands and wives providing care to their home-dwelling spouses receiving home-care services in Norway

Abstract

Background: In today’s healthcare systems, older family caregivers who care for their spouses at home are indispensable providers of healthcare. However, many of these caregivers are at risk of becoming ill themselves. To prevent this and to guide the development of targeted healthcare services, home-care personnel need knowledge on how to promote the health of older family caregivers. The purpose of this study was to understand the health-promoting experiences of older family caregivers who care for their home-dwelling spouses receiving home-care services. Methods: The experiences of older family caregivers were explored using a narrative design that involved narrative interviews and a narrative thematic and structural analytical approach. The sample consisted of four husbands and six wives aged 79–91 years. In the analysis, two storylines of narratives were constructed: one by husbands and one by wives. Findings: In the husbands’ narrative, continuation of everyday life and social support in everyday life were highlighted as being health-promoting. In the wives’ narrative, the importance of having time for oneself and being seen, heard and included by the home-care personnel were emphasized as promoting their health. The husbands’ narrative contained stories of the past and the present, while the wives’ narrative mainly comprised stories of the present. Conclusion: This study has provided insights into the narratives of older husbands and wives acting as family caregivers regarding what promotes their health caring for their spouses at home. Their stories show variations in care style, coping style and experiences of the caregiver burden. These findings suggest that home-care services should consider providing customized health-promoting services to older family caregivers who are providing care to their home-dwelling spouses receiving home-care services. Given the sample size of only ten participants, further qualitative and quantitative research is needed.