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The Lived Experience of Daughters Who Care for Frail, Elderly Parents in the Parents’ Home

Owens, Margaret N.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1084469332

Abstract Details

2004, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Nursing : Nursing, Doctoral Program.
The care of frail, elderly parents is becoming an issue of rising concern as the number of aged people in the population increases. It is estimated that over 22 million people currently provide support to elderly family and friends in this country. Caregivers often provide services at great physical, emotional, and financial cost to themselves. Evidence indicates that the majority of informal caregivers are daughters caring for their parents. Abundant research is available on family caregiving, however, the greatest focus has been on the concepts of caregiver burden and strain. Little investigation into the needs of daughters as a specific group has been conducted. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of daughters who care for their frail, elderly parents in the parents’ home. The philosophical underpinnings and nature of phenomenological research were examined as the context for application of van Manen’s design. Data were collected from interviews with seven daughters who were currently in the caregiving role. Support for the themes was gleaned from artistic sources. Ten essential themes were elicited. These themes were that caring for frail, elderly parents in the parents’ home is: (1) being torn between worlds; (2) embracing the wholeness of commitment; (3) a crucible of individual human effort; (4) a means of self-discovery; (5) a thread that can weave a family together or cause it to pull apart; (6) an experience of reciprocity; (7) a doorway to intimacy; (8) the attempt to maintain the autonomy of the parent; (9) grieving the decline of the parent; and (10) making the best use of the time left with a parent. The ten themes were used to compose a narrative of the daughters’ experiences of caring for their frail, elderly parent in the parent’s home. The findings were examined in light of Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Kristen Swanson’s Theory of Caring. Congruence of the findings with Attachment Theory and partial congruence with the Theory of Caring were found. Implications for research, practice, and education were discussed.
Dr. Margaret Miller (Advisor)
263 p.
Health Sciences, Nursing
Caregiving; Phenomenology; van Manen; Frail elderly parents; Bowlby, John; Swanson, Kristen; Family caregiving; Elder care; Qualitative research

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Owens, M. N. (2004). The Lived Experience of Daughters Who Care for Frail, Elderly Parents in the Parents’ Home [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1084469332

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Owens, Margaret. The Lived Experience of Daughters Who Care for Frail, Elderly Parents in the Parents’ Home. 2004. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1084469332.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Owens, Margaret. "The Lived Experience of Daughters Who Care for Frail, Elderly Parents in the Parents’ Home." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1084469332

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1084469332
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.