Bearing the weight: The lived experiences of informal caregivers to adult family members

Abstract

The rising number of adult family members worldwide increases the need for informal caregivers and demands for important health and care services. In the Philippine setting, most Filipino families refuse to acknowledge the role of nursing institutions and professional caregivers due to the collectivist culture that dominates society. Aside from the influence of socioeconomic level on their rejection, Filipinos are family-oriented and have a high regard for adult family members, therefore they consider it a privilege to care for them. Only a few studies about the experiences of informal caregivers were found, this study used a qualitative research design and a descriptive phenomenological method to investigate the lived experiences of informal caregivers in Iloilo City/Province. Six (6) participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods with inclusion criteria used. Using semi-structured interview questions and thematic analysis for analyzing qualitative data, two (2) main themes emerged: (1) The Burden of Caregiver Responsibilities with four (4) sub-themes, (a) Emotional and Physical Strain, (b) Difficulty of the Task, (c) Personal Sacrifice, and (d) Conflict with Family Members. The second main theme was Coping Amidst Challenges and under this main theme were four (4) sub-themes, namely: (a) Managing Burden through Leisure Activities, (b) Navigating the Caregiving Journey Through Resilience, (c) Sympathizing in the Face of Difficulties, and (d) Family Support System and Care Assistance. These themes have given us awareness of the difficulties among informal caregivers.