22nd Annual Student Research Conference
The Lived Experience of Primary Caregivers of Older Adults with Alzheimer's Disease
Erin N. Randall
Dr. Stephen Hadwiger, Faculty Mentor
The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of caregivers of older adults with Alzheimers disease through descriptive phenomenology and to determine whether this experience differed based on the caregivers ethnicity, gender or proximity to the one being cared for. Eights informants were interviewed, four men and four women. Of these informants, five were Caucasian and three were African American. Five informants were members of the nuclear family of the one being cared for and three were extended family members. After interviewing each informant, the essential structures of the lived experience were identified using the Coliazzi method and then verified with the informants. These essential structures provide a deeper understanding into what it is like to be a caregiver for someone with Alzheimers disease, and how the experience may differ based on the caregivers gender, ethnicity or proximity to the one being cared for.
Keywords: Alzheimer's , caregiving, caregiver, lived experience, phenomenology, ethnicity, gender, nursing
Topic(s):Nursing
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 27-3
Location: VH 1236
Time: 10:15