Remarriage as Context for Dementia Caregiving: Implications of Positive Support and Negative Interactions for Caregiver Well-Being

Abstract

Growing numbers of adults age with complex marital and family histories. At the same time, aging persons may require family care. This qualitative study focuses on later-life remarried wives (N = 60) caring for husbands with dementia to explore positive and negative care-related support from family and stepfamily members. Telephone interviews included open-ended questions and support networks diagrams to depict support experiences. Caregivers reported receiving support from own family, but noted an absence of support or assistance, or active interference, from stepfamily members. Remarried caregivers face specific support challenges, isolation and demoralization. Opportunities for interventions and future research are discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author is grateful to the Alzheimer's Association for providing a New Investigator Research Grant as funding for this study. The author also wants to thank the study participants who generously shared their experiences of caregiving and support, colleagues from the Life Course Development program, ISR, and Ms. Sekai Ward, MSW, who assisted with this study.