Female care partners’ experiences of their relative's transition to nursing home: a critical feminist perspective

Abstract

The decision to transition a relative to a nursing home is usually preceded by many months or years of physical and emotional care. While women continue to do most of the care work throughout their lives due to socially and culturally constructed gender roles, little research has explored female caregivers’ experiences in the transition of a relative to a nursing home particularly through a critical feminist lens. The purpose of the study was to explore care partners’ perceptions of this transition through a gendered lens, including changes in relationships with relatives and care workers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven female care partners of nursing home residents. Data were analyzed using the voicecentred relational method. Three main themes emerged: 1) Care as women’s work; 2) Relational care; and 3) Nursing home care. The study provided insight into the situatedness of women who transitioned a relative to a nursing home. Care was taken on willingly, with emotional commitment and a sense of duty which society constructed for them. Care was always embedded in relationships, before and after the transition, impacting the care partners and relatives’ quality of life. The Covid—19 pandemic affected their experiences significantly. Future considerations of nursing home care improvements should include relational aspects of care, an understanding of the situatedness of women as care partners and of women as care workers. Further research is needed exploring the impact on relational care among care partners, residents, and care workers due to the Covid-19 nursing home restrictions