Lived Experiences of Taking Care for Elderly with Dementia among Male Caregivers

• Main Authors: TSENG, HAN-YUN, 曾涵雲
• Other Authors: Lin, Hung-Ru
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/b97474

碩士 === 國立臺北護理健康大學 === 護理研究所 === 107 === The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of taking care for elderly with dementia among male caregivers. A qualitative design with phenomenological method was used. Purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted in a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan from March 2018 to January 2019. Total of 10 male caregivers completed the interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s analysis method. Five main themes emerged from the data narratives: the reasons for being caregivers, the impact of care work, the difficulties faced with caregiving, the complex emotions, and the adjustments and responses of care work. The study found that male family members became the primary caregivers because they were the eldest son of the family, unpaid members, unable to let go of their parents, and had no other suitable candidates in their families. They experienced the effects of sleep impact, limited personal schedule, financial stress, and disruption of life plans as a result of caregiving. In the process of care, men faced the special problems in taking care for the elderly who were different sex with them. They felt difficult to apply for long-term resources and difficult to ask for assistance.They especially felt it makes more difficult to take care when the elders have multiple diseases.In addition, male caregivers experienced many complex emotions, including shock, anger and helplessness in the face of elders’ problem behavior, conflicting feelings of blaming the elderly but regretting, and a lack of outlet for depressed emotions. Fortunately, male caregivers have developed the responses and adjustments of care work.They worked with the elderly to adjust their sleep, coordinate family support, seek external assistance, adjust their mindset and seek to share their experiences with other caregivers. This study found that the needs of male caregivers are clear and need to be valued. However, it is difficult for men to ask for help in the first place. Most of them use "bearing" and hope to handle difficulties on their own. It is recommended that clinical nurses can actively explore the needs of caregivers in the face of male caregivers of dementia elders, and actively provide care and assistance for them. The results of this study can help clinical nurses, have a better understanding of male primary caregivers of dementia elders, and provide as a reference to develop more appropriate nursing guidance.