Author:
Grenz Adele,von Kutzleben Milena
Abstract
Abstract
Background
In Germany, live-in migrant carers provide essential social, emotional and physical support to a growing number of community-dwelling people with dementia. However, opaque legal regulations and employment models as well as a lack of formal supervision for families employing live-in migrant carers contribute to the vulnerability of these already strained arrangements. This study analyses the family caregivers’ perspective, their conceptualisations of good dementia live-in migrant care and conflicts that arise in live-in care arrangements.
Methods
The study adopted a qualitative-explorative approach. We conducted focus groups with family caregivers (n = 15) to learn about their perspectives on and experiences with live-in care as a model of home-based dementia care. Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection took place online, which enabled us to include participants from all over Germany in our sample. Data were analysed with qualitative content analysis.
Results
In this paper, two main categories, Indicators of good live-in migrant care for people with dementia and perceived conflicts, are presented. We identified indicators applied by family caregivers to assess the quality of care provided by migrant live-in carers and its outcomes for the person with dementia. These relate primarily to interpersonal and emotional aspects and a person-centred attitude towards the person with dementia. Conflicts arise when the needs and personalities within the triad do not match, due to intransparent and unreliable work of and communication with the placement agencies, or permanent crisis as a result of the German model with alternating live-in carers.
Conclusion
Our findings point to the complex dynamics and relationships within live-in care triads and support the theoretical assumption that taking into account the needs of all actors involved is essential for good and stable care arrangements. The conceptualisations of family caregivers of good dementia live-in migrant care offer starting points for a scientific as well as a social and health policy debate about the future regulation of this model of care.
Funder
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference35 articles.
1. Deutsche Alzheimer Gesellschaft e.V. Die Häufigkeit von Demenzerkrankungen; 2022.
2. World Alzheimer Report. 2022. Life after diagnosis: Navigating treatment care and support; 2022.
3. Liken MA. Critical incidents precipitating institutionalization of a relative with Alzheimer’s. West J Nurs Res. 2001;23:163–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/019394590102300205.
4. Kitwood T. Demenz. Der person-zentrierte Ansatz Im Umgang Mit Verwirrten Menschen. Bern: Huber; 2008.
5. Nolan MR, Brown J, Davies S, Nolan J, Keady J. The senses Framework: improving care for older people through a relationship-centred approach. Getting research into practice (GRiP) report no 2. University of Sheffield; 2006.