Abstracts Anthropology

The Experiences of End-of-Life In-home Caregiving by Immigrant Family Caregivers

by Rhodric Gana

The de-institutionalization of healthcare systems around the world has led to the rise of home care services as a preferred option. Many people with life limiting illnesses have expressed their wish to stay at home during End-of-Life (EOL) care. The ability to die at home is made possible partly by significant levels of informal caregiving from family members and friends. In-home caregiving presents many positive and negative experiences that are common among Canadian family caregivers and their loved ones. However, cultural values and norms for immigrant family caregivers may shape the experience of in-home caregiving in unexpected ways. The purpose of this research is to understand the immigrant family caregiver’s experience of End-of-Life in-home caregiving. Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, I interviewed immigrant family caregivers who described their experience of taking care of a loved one dying at home. Semi-structured interviews with guided questions were the means by which seven immigrant family caregivers described their experience of EOL in-home caregiving. I analyzed the data using coding, memo-writing, theoretical sampling, and constant-comparative processes. This analysis led to the co-construction of the theory Immigrant family caregiver experience of EOL in-home caregiving: A Relational Process of Maintaining Dignity in Dying. Encompassed within this theory are three interrelated categories and nine sub-categories.