A Male Caregiver's Perceived Experience of Caring for a Wife with Stroke

by Dawson-Weiss, Judith A.

A male spousal caregiver providing care to his wife with stroke was enrolled in Caring-Web, a web-based support intervention study. This caregiver’s electronic messages posted on Caretalk, the discussion group on Caring-Web, were collected over the first year of caring. These data entries (n=213) were coded, using an established coding rubric based on Friedemann’s framework of systemic organization. The themes that emerged were drawn to this framework’s concepts. The themes during this year were that of the male caregiver: 1) providing support, 2) offering solutions, and 3) taking control. Friedemann’s system maintenance process dimension was the area that captured most of his experience. This indicated that this caregiver spent a significant amount of his energy in creating control and stability within his environment in order to maintain congruence or balance in his life. These findings can be used to identify and design interventions for caregivers that impact the quality of their lives.