Positioning in a Support Group for Spouses of Persons with Dementia

Abstract

The overwhelming nature of caregiving for a person with dementia leads many caregivers to join a support group. Support group conversations shape how members understand their circumstances and themselves. Patterns of support group conversations may facilitate ways of thinking of oneself as a caregiver that ease negative impacts of caregiving. Guided by positioning theory, this participant observation case study examines how spouse caregivers of persons with dementia are positioned in patterns of support group conversations. Five patterns of conversations are identified—change, continuity, negative impacts, management, and caring for oneself. Through these five patterns of conversations, dementing spouses and their caregivers are constructed as objective/subjective dualities. The implications of this duality for caregivers and support groups are discussed. Caregiving is becoming a common experience in the United States—an estimated 44.4 million persons provide help to adult relatives and friends (Link, Dize, Folkemer, & Curran, 2006). These numbers will increase markedly over the next two decades with approximately 8,000 baby boomers turning 60 every day (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Further, between the years 2000 and 2050 there will be an increase in the 85 and older population from 4.3 million to 20.9 million