The meaning of caregiving

The purpose of the research reported in this article was to describe the experiences of caregivers who were providing care to an individual who recently had been discharged from a physical rehabilitation program. The research was aimed at answering the questions, "What is the meaning ascribed to the caregiver role?" A convenience sample of 10 caregivers was interviewed. Most of the caregivers (80%) were female; all were relatives of the individual requiring care. These family members believed that caregiving was their responsibility by virtue of relationship, or that no one else was available to assume the caregiving role. Many had no assistance from outside agencies, and most related that caregiving entailed full-time responsibility. Many also continued in other roles such as employee, homemaker, and parent.