The Male Experience of Caregiving for a Family Member with Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

A phenomenological method was used to investigate the male experience of caregiving for a family member with Alzheimer's disease. Eight men, 5 spouses, and 3 sons were interviewed to find out what their experiences were like. From the analysis of the interview data, eight themes were identified for all the caregivers: (a) enduring, (b) vigilance, (c) a sense of loss, (d) aloneness and loneliness, (e) taking away, (P searching to discover, (g) the need for assistance, and (h) reciprocity. An additional theme was identified from the experience of the son caregivers: (i) overstepping the normal boundaries. The themes were interrelated to form a whole that captured the experience of caregiving for the male caregivers. Alzheimer's disease shaped these men's feelings toward every aspect of caregiving. Findings from this study challenge the primacy of the concept of "caregiver burden" as the predominant aspect of caregiving.