(Un)seen Unravelling variety in caregivers’ views on sharing care

This dissertation focusses on informal caregivers: family members, friends, neighbours, and other close contacts who provide informal care to someone with care demands. The associations between caregivers’ intersecting social positions and their expectations of Dutch authorities and social and healthcare professionals were investigated, as well as their preferences regarding collaboration with these professionals. Mixed methods research was conducted. Findings indicate that caregivers’ care attitudes are influenced by various combinations of social positions; both caregiver identity and caregiving context shape views on sharing care. While many caregivers generally support the idea that individuals in need of care should primarily receive help from their own social circles, they also acknowledge the importance of government involvement, particularly in situations involving long-term or complex care. Caregivers’ intersecting social positions also contribute to differences in their judgements regarding collaboration with professionals. However, these positions do not necessarily lead to variations in caregiver preferences for such collaboration. Caregivers emphasize the importance of ‘being seen’, establishing fair and equal collaborative relationships with professionals, and ensuring that professionals consider the context in which caregiving occurs. Given dissatisfaction stemming from the organisational context in which caregiving occurs, maintaining strong interpersonal connections between caregivers and professionals becomes particularly crucial. As such, policies and organisations must facilitate professionals to invest time in understanding caregivers and their specific circumstances, which can foster trusting relationships wherein caregivers’ expertise is valued.