MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS FOR CARING FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN SOUTH AFRICA: HOME-BASED CAREGIVERS’ EXPERIENCES

Abstract

This qualitative study, based on Loretta Williams’s middle-range theory of caregiving dynamics, explores and describes the motivations of home-based caregivers in caring for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five home-based caregivers from three provinces of South Africa. The study underscores Williams’s theory. It revealed that caregivers are motivated by experiencing caregiving as a divine calling; a need for self-fulfilment; an innate passion; a response to personal experiences (having a sick family member, or who is HIV-infected); an alternative career (to nursing or social work); a form of employment; and utilising existing experiences and skills.