Title : The experience of hidden costs of care among family caregivers of older adults with disabilities at home: A qualitative study
Abstract:
Background: Understanding the hidden costs of care for family caregivers of older adults with disabilities is essential for optimizing resource allocation, reducing care expenses, addressing global aging pressures, enhancing long-term care quality, and improving both caregiver and care recipient lives, yet it remains underestimated or neglected by policymakers and researchers. The study aimed to describe the experience of hidden costs of care among family caregivers of older adults with disabilities at home.
Methods: The study was a qualitative descriptive study design. From 18th March to 15th April 2024, a total of 12 participants were recruited from three communities in Zhengzhou city from Henan province of China by maximum variation sampling. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews after getting the informed consent of participants. The audio recordings were transcribed into text within 24 hours after the interviews, taking care to add non-verbal information. Conventional content analysis was conducted to create categories and themes by two researchers.
Results: The experience of hidden costs of care was categorised into five main categories as follows: time costs of unpaid care, costs of career development, physical well-being costs, mental well-being costs, and social relationship costs.
Conclusions: Family caregivers face multifaceted challenges in the process of care. A concrete framework should be construct to facilitate the control of hidden costs of care for the family caregivers by original research and policy development. It should take more measures to improve the quality of life of caregivers, promote social equity, and formulate more effective support policies, thus contributing to the advancement of theoretical research and practical application in the field of family care.
Keywords: Hidden cost of care; Family caregivers; Content analysis
Audience Take Away Notes
- The study described the experience of hidden costs of care among family caregivers of older adults with disabilities at home
- The experience of hidden costs of care was categorised into five main categories as follows: time costs of unpaid care, costs of career development, physical well-being costs, mental well-being costs, and social relationship costs.
- Our findings make a reference for the intervention of hidden costs of care undertaken by family caregivers.
