Reflections on elder image of caregivers after death of the elder

Abstract

The purposes of the study were (1) to compare the caregiver's mental image of the elder at three different points in their relationship with the elder and (2) determine what end-of-life decisions were made by the caregiver as surrogate, and how these decisions were discussed in order to ensure the elder's autonomy. Quantitative analysis was used to compare scores from the Elder Image Scale (EIS) for time 1 and time 2 taken from a previous study entitled Causal Relationships Affecting the Quality of Family Caregiving together with scores obtained after death (time 3 from this study). Qualitative analysis was used for data obtained during interviews of ten informants. Thirteen theme categories were identified from three open-ended questions. Symbolic interactionism theory was used to describe the process used in surrogate decision making regarding end-of-life decisions for the elder.