Home Care for Older Couples: “It Feels Like a Security Blanket . . .”

Abstract

In this article, the authors explore the home care experience as described by older physically impaired individuals and their caregiving spouses. Separate face-to-face semistructured interviews were carried out with each spouse from nine couples. Analysis of the interview data revealed four themes. For care receivers the themes were Independence and Developing a Trusting Relationship With Home Care Workers. Relief and Continuity were voiced by the caregiving spouses. The authors show how these themes relate to the participants' sense of security, which emerged as a key underlying concept in the home care experience. This study adds to the home care and caregiving literature as it expands our understanding of the relationship between formal and informal caregiving, highlights issues and concerns older couples face as they receive home-based care, and includes both older spouse caregivers and their direct-care recipients.