Nagotiating Continuity of Self at Home: Restorative Strategies and Home Spaces Used by Caregivers and Care Recipients

摘要

Caregiving at home disrupts comforting routines for caregivers and the family member in their care. The physical structure of a home can support or thwart everyday efforts to restore normalcy and balance, especially in a caregiving situation. In a qualitative study undertaken recently by the author and students at the University of Northern Iowa, nine sets of caregivers and care recipients from Midwestern America were interviewed in their homes to examine home-based coping efforts to restore balance. This article reports the analysis of the interviews through six scenarios that illustrate home-based restorative strategies for maintaining continuity of self- familiar routines, social connections, and restructured time. These strategies revealed specific ways in which connections, separations, and transitions within home spaces supported meaningful experiences.