Brothers and sisters sharing in the care of a parent with dementia

Abstract

Brothers’ and sisters’ experiences providing care to a parent with dementia differ, but little is known about how mixed-gender siblings share their caregiving responsibilities or how sharing affects their relationship. This study aimed to explore mixed-gender siblings processes for distributing caregiving tasks when caring for a parent with dementia and the impact of sharing care on their relationship. This descriptive qualitative study recruited fourteen English-speaking mixed-gender sibling pairs caring for a parent with dementia. Online open-ended surveys and individual semi-structured interviews were completed. Interviews and surveys explored division of caregiving responsibilities, conflict resolution, and the effects of sharing care on sibling relationships. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Five themes were identified: goal of shared caregiving is to meet parents’ needs, sisters often take the lead, practical issues affect sharing of caregiving activities, personal resources or skills affect division of responsibilities, and shared caregiving influences relationship quality. Understanding how siblings share caregiving responsibilities can inform the practices of healthcare professionals who care for people with dementia and their family caregivers.