Changes in daily occupations and the meaning of work for three women caring for relatives post-stroke

Abstract

Study aim: This qualitative study explored how some working Austrians experienced and coped with changes in their daily occupations after becoming informal carers of persons who had had a stroke. The study provides insights into the working carers' occupational experiences and strategies during a period of pronounced life changes. Methods: Three participants, who were employed in full- or part-time work, as well as being informal carers of persons who had had a stroke, were interviewed on two occasions. The data from these interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analyses. Results: Carers found themselves in an ongoing process, ranging from the disruption of daily occupations to their eventual restructure. First, the stroke led to involuntary changes in the carers' daily life, which resulted in challenges in their own, and in shared, occupations. Second, carers actively changed their values and performance of occupations, which appeared to be a strategy to shape their well-being. Paid work was found to be a stabilizing and balancing occupation, which contributed to coping and the well-being of carers. Conclusions: The authors' findings demonstrate the benefits of paid work and engagement in meaningful occupation for the carers' well-being. These results should encourage occupational therapists to be sensitive to the complexity of the lives of working informal carers.

Key words::

• work
• stroke
• phenomenology
• family caregivers
• daily occupations
• apoplexy

Acknowledgements

We thank the three participants for providing their time and sharing their personal information. We also thank Wouter van Dongen and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Ethical permission for this research project was granted by the Medical University of Graz Ethics Commission.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.