| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 社會工作學研究所 === 105 === The risk of diagnosis dementia increases with age, and the trend of population aging calls attention to dementia care. In reviewing caregiver''s literature, the subjects were mostly female, but with the change of the modern society, male caregivers gradually appeared in the field of informal care with rarely mentioned. Accordingly, the study aims to explore the care process of male caregivers who take care of the elderly diagnosed with dementia, including finding out the elderly has dementia, taking responsibility of being caregivers, adapting and learning to be a caregivers.
In recent years, Taiwan Government has been actively promoting long-term care policy and has focused on community-based services. Researcher take day care services as an example, try to discover day care service utilization experience of male caregivers, including who is the decision maker of day care service and division of labor between formal services and informal care, also positive and negative experience. It’s expected to be able to understand the unique aspects of male caregivers experience in the use of formal services and caring experience through the study, and provide first-line social workers with greater sensitivity to male caregivers.
Care and service utilization experience is a personal issue. Therefore, the study employs a qualitative approach, including semi-structured, in depth interviews with eight son caregivers and two husband caregivers. The findings are as follows:
First, process of becoming a male caregiver. The process includes finding out the elderly diagnosed with dementia, taking the caregiver role, adapting and learning to be a caregiver. The most challenge thing in the process is son caregivers need to cooperate with his sibling.
Second, day care service utilization experience. In the decision making process, husband caregivers are passive, his kids are the keyperson to interact with formal service. In the division of labor between family caregivers and day care services, day care services provide daily activities and the chance for the elderly to socialize. Also, day care service demonstrates a new way for how care arrangements could be, and benefits a stable life to male caregivers. But there still some dilemma when the elderly’ dementia is getting worse, the day care service will consider to end up providing service. Then, male caregivers feel frustrated to be rejected by professional authority.
Correspond to the findings, research discussion focus on: 1. the reason why male caregivers emerge is not because there are no female caregivers can substitute, but because those female got the irreplaceable position in the family such as financial ability, also traditional gender division of labor is no longer regarded as a standard. 2. When the recipient dementia illness becomes serious, male caregivers need more respite, but face to the result which is refused by the day care service, male caregivers feel depressed, we need to rethink about the acceptance criteria and the purpose of the day care service.
Based on the above, suggestions for male caregivers include providing male caregivers support group which can divide male caregivers from sons and husbands, and break away care-feminization and the myth that caregivers must sacrifice themselves. Suggestions for formal service include not only increase the number of day care centers but also strengthen the continuity of community services.
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