Experiences of family caregivers with day-care centers for elders in Southern China: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT

With its massive older population, China faces challenges related to elderly support and care. One of the proposed solutions is to diversify elderly support systems. Towards this goal, the establishment of day-care centres is a new Chinese endeavour. This qualitative study was conducted among the family caregivers of elderly residents enrolled in day-care centres in Shenzhen, a Southern Chinese city, to explore and understand the experiences and factors that might affect family caregivers of frail elders enrolled in day-care centres. Twenty participants were recruited from these centres. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and were analysed via thematic analysis. The three major themes were: ‘I am a traditional person’: the impacts of ren and xiao, ‘caring made me tired’: mobility and environment barriers, and ‘I am not young’: relaxation feelings of family caregivers. The findings indicated that the day-care centres presented both challenges and opportunities to family caregivers, and the psychological and cultural services at these centres must be further enhanced.

摘要

中国老年人口众多，面临着与老年人支持和照顾有关的挑战。建议的解决办法之一是使老年人支助系统多样化。为实现这一目标，建立日间照顾中心是中国政府一项新的努力。这项定性研究是在中国南方城市深圳市日间照顾中心登记的老年居民的家庭照顾者群体中所开展，目的是探索和了解在日间照顾中心登记的体弱老人的家庭照顾者的经验和可能影响其家庭照顾者的因素。从日间照顾中心招募了20名参与者。通过深度访谈收集及专题分析进行分析。研究发现三大主题：成为家庭照顾者的挑战，来自日间照顾中心的挑战，以及家庭照顾者的放松感受。研究结果表明，日间照顾中心给家庭照顾者带来了挑战和机遇，必须进一步加强这些中心的心理和文化服务。

KEYWORDS:

• Family caregiver
• frail elders
• day-care centres
• qualitative

关键词:

• 家庭照顾者
• 孱弱老人
• 日间照顾中心
• 质性研究

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical Approval

All of the procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committees and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Social Science Foundation in China [grant number 19BSH161].

Notes on contributors

Yong Tang

Yong Tang, Associate Professor, Sociology Department, Shenzhen University. Her research interests include Chinese older adults; Chinese caregivers of oldest-old adults; Long-term care; Bereavement, death and dying; Psychosocial care to a cancer patient; Social Work Education.