Sons as sole caregivers for their elderly parents. How do they cope?

OBJECTIVE To examine the experiences of men who are sole caregivers for their elderly parents.

DESIGN Semistructured in-depth interviews.

SETTING Family practice clinic attached to a large tertiary care centre in north central Toronto.

PARTICIPANTS A convenience sample of 10 men who identified themselves as sole caregivers in that they had no particular women assisting them with caregiving.

METHOD Interviews were analyzed by standard qualitative methods.

MAIN FINDINGS Emerging themes were the spectrum of caregiving, the experience of caregiving, and the use of formal support systems. Scope of care varied from very little to total care, including personal care. Participants described positive and negative aspects of and the nature of their relationships with those for whom they cared. Avoiding institutionalization was seen as positive; effects on work and social life were negative. Use of more than homemaking services was associated with previous hospitalization; participants complained about difficulties accessing services.

CONCLUSIONS The nature of sons' relationships with their parents and the amount of time they have available can predict how much caregiving they can undertake. Information about community support services is not readily accessible to these men.