Male Carers Research Articles

Family Carers: Women and Men, Adult Offspring, Partners, and Parents

The role of the family carer of a relative with a long-term illness or disability has been the focus of increasing research interest. However, few studies have examined the differential experiences of caring for parents or spouses compared to caring for children. The community-based sample of family carers recruited for the present study included all ages, disabilities, relationship groups, women, and men. Of the carers identified through a random survey of 26,000 households in Victoria, Australia, 78% agreed to be interviewed. This paper reports on the differential impact of the experience on the physical health and emotional wellbeing of (a) male and female carers; and (b) adult offspring, spouse and parent carers, taking into consideration varying ages between relationship groups. In emotional wellbeing and employment opportunities women were more adversely affected than men. Higher intensity caring roles with positive and negative concomitants were associated with parents caring for children and spouses caring for partners, and with younger and co-resident carers generally. Having paid employment was clearly protective.

SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS IN MARRIED DEMENTIA SUFFERERS

To determine the proportion of couples, one of whom suffers from dementia, continuing with a sexual relationship, their level of satisfaction with their sexual relationship and the associations of remaining sexually active. A survey of married couples enrolled in a prospective dementia study. Psychiatric services and a memory clinic. The partners of 47 married patients with mild to moderate dementia. The assessment included the GMS/HAS/SDS package, the Marital Intimacy Scale (with some additional questions regarding sexual relations), the CAMCOG, the Carers Stress Scale, the Cornell Depression Scale and the Burns Symptom Checklist. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-III-R, McKhann, McKeith, Hachinski and HAS AGECAT criteria. Forty partners completed the study. Nine (22.5%) continued to have a sexual relationship, all of whom were satisfied with the situation. Twelve (38.7%) of the carers who were not sexually active were dissatisfied with the absence of a sexual relationship. There was a trend for male carers to be more likely to be involved in a continuing sexual relationship. Dissatisfaction with the absence of a sexual relationship was significantly associated with a diagnosis of vascular dementia in the patient and showed a trend towards an association with younger patient age. Nearly a quarter of married dementia sufferers are involved in a continuing sexual relationship, emphasizing the importance of further research in this area.

Man-made Care: Community Care and Older Male Carers

Recent evidence about the extent of caring for older people by older people them selves, and about the importance of spouse care, has challenged existing debates about gender and care. Male carers, particularly older husbands, have been 'discovered'. This paper attempts to reconceptualize the debate about gender and caring to take account of these developments, particularly to develop an understanding of the caring activities of older male carers and to elaborate the implications for community care policy. The evidence suggests there are circumstances where men accept the obligation to care, undertake intimate personal care, and derive identity and reward from their caring work, driven by similar motives and experiencing similar struggles as women. Rather than seeking maximum distinction between the motives and experiences of women and men carers, the paper suggests that one important way to promote non-sexist community care is to explore the conditions where men's caring is under taken and how it can be understood and developed.