Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
This presentation is part of : Caregiving of the Elderly
Mother-Daughter Relationships Within the Care Process of Dementia
Catherine Ward-Griffin, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada and Nancy Ann Bol, RN, BScN, MScN, Regional Mental Health Care London/St. Thomas, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
Learning Objective #1: Understand how mothers and daughters relate to one another within dementia and how this care process influences their health and well-being
Learning Objective #2: Identify those practices, programs and policies necessary to support the care of older adults with dementia and their families.
Background: Most family caregiving research has relied solely on the perspective of the caregiver but has rarely examined the perceptions of the elder in the care process. Inattention to care recipients’ perspectives renders them passive participants in the care process. If we are to broaden our understanding of the complexities of the care process of AD, future research needs to focus on caregiving as a dyadic process, one that considers both perspectives of the caregiver and care recipient. However, we know very little about the specific relationships between adult daughters and their mothers with AD, how their relationship changes over time, or how the care process influences their health and well-being.

Methodology: Grounded in a feminist interpretive orientation that acknowledges the constructed and contextual nature of health and illness experiences (Thorne, Kirkham & MacDonald-Emes, 1997), a qualitative descriptive inquiry was used to explore the subjective perceptions and experiences of adult daughters and their mothers diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease (AD). This study also took a longitudinal approach in order to determine changes in the relationship between mothers with AD and their daughters, and in their health and well-being. A diverse sample of 20 community dwelling older women with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and their daughters was obtained. All participants completed two audiotaped interviews, approximately 6-9 months apart. The major procedures for qualitative analysis followed the guidelines of Lofland and Lofland (1995).

Findings and Implications: Preliminary analysis revealed key themes of gratitude, reciprocity, resentment, autonomy and dependency. We need to be especially aware of the experiences and needs of both care recipients and caregivers so adequate supports and services are available to foster healthy family relationships. Study findings may help identify those practices, programs and polices necessary to support individuals with dementia and their families.

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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004