Representations of informal caregiving of older adults in the Swedish news media

ABSTRACT Informal caregiving of older adults constitutes a major welfare issue in Sweden. Given the news media’s role in influencing public understandings, policies and social work practice, the aim of this study was to examine the news media representations of informal caregiving of older adults. The empirical material consists of news media articles published over the years 1996–2022 in Swedish newspapers. After analysis of 111 newspaper articles, four themes emerged: Nostalgia, cutbacks and loss of welfare state ideals and its impact on family caregiving, within which a universal welfare state was represented as a lost period. In the theme Informal caregiving as a trap for women working class women were seen as victims and forced to be informal caregivers. The current lack of support and its consequences were addressed in Informal caregivers need for support. When criticizing the cutbacks of the welfare state, contributions of informal caregivers were acknowledged in the theme Informal caregivers as “lifelines” and “saviors” of the welfare state. There was a near-complete absence of the voices of the older adults within the news articles analyzed. A noteworthy finding given that older adults are directly affected by how informal caregiving is being discussed in the news media.