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    Who cares? : making elder carers visible : eleven women talk about the implications of the caregiving role : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Social Work, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1997) Patterson, Vivienne E. K.
    This research was prompted by my personal experience of dealing with elder carers as a social worker and seeing formal resources available to this group diminishing. Eleven women caring for elderly relatives were interviewed. The aim of the research was to discover how they came to be in the elder care role, and to explore the impact of this role on their lifestyles. Any change in the relationships between the person cared for and themselves, and the wider relationships of friends and family, since care began, was also investigated. A constant theme throughout the study was the issue of elder care being unrecognised and unpaid. Feminist theory was used to inform the thesis; qualitative feminist method was used in the research. The main method used in the study was the formal interview and intial direction in the interviews was based on a semi-structured questionnaire. The interviewees, however, soon took control of what information was provided and what they thought was important. Time use diaries covering a twenty four hour period were used to record the activities of the respondents. This allowed analysis of the unpaid work by the carers. One of the goals of the thesis was to provide an opportunity for the carers to be heard by social workers and policy makers. The implications for social work were discussed as a result of the professional issues highlighted during this study. Time was spent with carers identifying formal and informal services. They were given an opportunity to verbalise their areas of need which can be presented to policy makers. Issues presented by the carers included feelings of isolation from friends and family, lack of formal recognition of the work they do and the expectation of women to fulfill an elder care role by family and society. The challenge to me personally and professionally was to gain an understanding of the womens stories and to present them in a meaningful way which highlights the experiences and needs of elder carers. Although having worked in the area for several years, some of the information given by the carers I was hearing for the first time. The common themes in their stories surrounded lack of choice in becoming carers and the subsequent isolation of the role. These were not explored through current social work methods which revolve around the organisational needs of discharging the individual back to the community as soon as possible not always working with the carers to identify the supports they need. The final section of this thesis explored some of these issues and provides social workers with an opportunity to share what I had previously not had the opportunity to hear.
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    Talking about end-of-life care for older people in a rural New Zealand community : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2009) Horrell, Barbara Mary
    Rural experiences are under-represented in the end-of-life care literature. In addition, population projections indicate that the numbers of older rural people are increasing. In an attempt to better understand their needs, this study considers how older people experience end-of-life (EOL) care in a rural New Zealand setting. Having responded to local media and community notices, seven participants, who in the last eighteen months had cared for someone over the age of 65 with a terminal illness, spoke about their experience of rural EOL care. Their stories were then transcribed and analysed, using narrative analysis. Participants spoke about similar issues, but from different, sometimes conflicting, perspectives. Positioning themselves primarily as carers, rather than as rural people, the participants’ stories nevertheless reflected their social location for caring, as they talked about exhaustion and needing 24 hour support; limited access to specialist palliative care services; and the difficulties of caring for people with complex needs. At the same time they spoke of the joys and rewards of caring. The ambivalence and conflict evident in the stories indicates the participants’ location in a particular place and time in the history of dying. Caught between two paradigms of care, these participants vacillate between the desire for the empathic, compassionate care of yesteryear and the best that modern medical technology can offer. Discussing when to continue and when to stop medical intervention produced the most conflicting perspectives. However, all agreed that having time to form therapeutic relationships is a key component of EOL care. Overall, the stories demonstrate that the multiple and complex experiences of older rural people render stereotypical assumptions about rural life and dying at home problematic. However, as this study demonstrates, simply talking with people provides access to and understanding of their lived realities. Incorporating this kind of approach in future rural EOL care planning will move us closer to achieving contemporary goals of positive ageing and dying well.
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    Elder care, self-employed women and work-family balance: an exploration using work-family border theory : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Human Resource Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2009) Bourke, Josephine Emily
    Despite work-life balance being an area of interest to many researchers, there is little reference to any effects related specifically to elder care. Current demographics indicate that the proportion of elderly in the community is increasing, and with greater workforce participation (particularly among women workers) the availability of family caregivers is less guaranteed. Women are more likely to be responsible for elder care, and as they seek to manage their work and life, are also more likely to seek workplace flexibility, sometimes through self-employment. The effect that elder care may be having on the work-life balance of self-employed women is the focus of this research project. Using work-family border theory as a lens, this research documented the effect that elder care had on the lives of a group of self-employed women who also had elder care responsibilities. Eight women from the Wellington region participated in this research, which was carried out from a broadly phenomenological perspective. Each participant shared information, using a case study approach, about their business and elder care responsibilities. The results of this research indicate the profound effect of emotions in the elder care situation, and also the effect of expectations from others whose influences affected the ability of the participants to achieve work-life balance.