Disability, home care and the care-taking role in family life

This exploratory study examines the dynamics of keeping a disabled adult in the home. In interviews with 30 families, major foci emerged which spanned the interaction between family members and one member, the disabled adult. These foci were: the initial weighing process in the decision to keep the disabled at home, the therapeutic process which evolved among members, the interactional system which served the social unit, and the social context and adaptation that the family made to perceived misfortune.