Abstract:

This study evaluates the changing family relationships, roles, and identities of the older family carers who care for their older adult. In the study, caregiving was considered as a process and it was aimed to reveal how the older adult took part in the field of care as caregivers. For this reason, the importance of connected lives, historical and spatial conditions and individual characteristics in undertaking and maintaining care in the context of the life course approach is emphasized. The qualitative research method was used, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 older carers within the scope of the study. During the interviews, the biographical life course of the older carers was discussed, and the data obtained were analyzed thematically. The study data are analyzed in the context of various caregiver typologies in the caregiving literature in terms of how older carers experience several care episodes along their care trajectories, how care takes place in the care of spouses and parents, how they define themselves as caregivers due to role conflicts in the care process, and how they think about their own old age. Accordingly, caregiving career of older carers were evaluated under five themes: parenting their parents, like a parent, married widows, on-duty caregivers, and master caregivers. As a result of the research, it was found that this new role that the older adult acquired as caregivers’ conflicts with their other roles as spouse, child, sibling, parent, or employee; It was revealed that the relationships and responsibilities of parents, spouse and siblings change during the care process and these changes occur depending on the intensity, duration, and timing of the caregiving.

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