Exploring the Nature of Social Connectedness in Caregiving

<p>With the growing number of older adults, their multifaceted caregiving demands are expected to rise correspondingly. For family caregivers of older adults, caregiving responsibilities also become increasingly complex. Beyond conventional caregiving challenges, family caregivers of older adults may also face additional challenges, such as issues related to social connectedness, resulting from their caregiving role. Unfortunately, social connectedness is a rarely explored dimension of family caregivers in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the social connectedness of family caregivers of older adults by acquiring insightful information on family caregiving through semi-structured interviews. A total of twenty-seven interviews were conducted in this study by a combination of convenience and purposive sampling, supplemented by chain referral recruitment. A systematic analysis of participants’ conversations with data triangulation indicated that social connectedness is a subjective personal feeling, and its perception varies from person to person. In most cases, family caregiving contributes to a decrease in social connectedness for family caregivers of older adults, especially for those who hold a regular job while performing extensive care work. Their concerns of time availability and financial pressures for social activities that come from family caregiving’s unique characteristics negatively impact their social connectedness. Support from family caregivers’ family members, friends, and church members may help mitigate their decreased social connectedness.</p>