Family carers for older relatives: sources of satisfaction and related factors in Finland

This study focuses on sources of satisfaction among family carers for older relatives and related factors in Finland. It is part of a major international project concerned with the coping of family carers in four countries. The results reported here are based on questionnaire data collected among 290 family carers from three Finnish towns. The questionnaire included the Carer's Assessment of Satisfaction Index (CASI) developed by Nolan and Grant (1992). The data were processed using SPSS statistical software. The results suggest that carers derived most satisfaction from seeing they could help their relative feel more comfortable, making them feel needed and wanted. Among factors relating to interpersonal dynamics, carers felt that this is one way in which they can show their love for the person they cared for. The family carer's as well as the dependent person's gender, the family carer's age, care burden and general life satisfaction were associated with sources of satisfaction. The results are compared with earlier findings on family carers' sources of satisfaction in Sweden and the UK. Implications for policy and practice are considered.