Providing Social Support to Family Caregivers. –An Essential Part of the Japanese Care Manager’s Role
(2014) SOAM11 20122School of Social Work
- Abstract
- The overall objective of this study was to investigate the social support provided by care managers to family caregivers of elderly adults receiving community based care under the Japanese Long-Term Care Insurance scheme. The study has explored such support from the perspective of the care manager, and in relation to the overall role of the care manager. As such, the following research questions have been employed: (i) what reasons do care managers have for providing social support to family caregivers, (ii) what kind of social support do care managers provide to family caregivers and how does it relate to the care managers’ work assignments, and (iii) what is influencing the social support provided by care managers to family caregivers.... (More)
- The overall objective of this study was to investigate the social support provided by care managers to family caregivers of elderly adults receiving community based care under the Japanese Long-Term Care Insurance scheme. The study has explored such support from the perspective of the care manager, and in relation to the overall role of the care manager. As such, the following research questions have been employed: (i) what reasons do care managers have for providing social support to family caregivers, (ii) what kind of social support do care managers provide to family caregivers and how does it relate to the care managers’ work assignments, and (iii) what is influencing the social support provided by care managers to family caregivers. The research questions were approached from the perspective of care managers through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews as a research method. In total, interviews with nine care managers were held between December 2012 and March 2013, in the prefectures of Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Yokohama. The empirical material was analyzed within a framework of interactionist role theory. The analysis suggests that the activity of providing social support to family caregivers has become incorporated into the care manager role. Reasons for providing social support can be understood as a way for care managers to strive to create a situation, that allows family caregivers to continue providing informal care to their elderly family member within the community. The study identified seven different categories of social support. Three of these categories (supporting family caregivers with LTCI services; giving information and advice; creating a supportive environment) can be seen as social support that is provided partly through the care managers’ formal work assignments. The remaining four categories (making referrals; being there; spending time talking; comfort and encouragement) can be said to fall outside of the care managers’ formal work assignments. The social support provided by care managers are partly influenced by the developer behind the LTCI scheme (the Japanese government) and the companies the care managers work for, since they partly define the care manager role. The care managers’ way of supporting family caregivers was also influenced by what they wished to accomplish by providing support as well as the care managers’ preconceptions and/or opinions about what kind of relationship they should have with family caregivers, how family caregivers should be supported in certain situations and what kind of support that was important. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/4254681
- author
- Murofushi, Satsuki LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOAM11 20122
- year
- 2014
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- family caregiver, long-term care insurance scheme, Japanese care manager, social support, interactionist role theory, caregiver, informal care, community based care
- language
- English
- id
- 4254681
- date added to LUP
- 2014-02-11 09:09:04
- date last changed
- 2014-02-11 09:09:04
@misc{4254681,
abstract = {{The overall objective of this study was to investigate the social support provided by care managers to family caregivers of elderly adults receiving community based care under the Japanese Long-Term Care Insurance scheme. The study has explored such support from the perspective of the care manager, and in relation to the overall role of the care manager. As such, the following research questions have been employed: (i) what reasons do care managers have for providing social support to family caregivers, (ii) what kind of social support do care managers provide to family caregivers and how does it relate to the care managers’ work assignments, and (iii) what is influencing the social support provided by care managers to family caregivers. The research questions were approached from the perspective of care managers through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews as a research method. In total, interviews with nine care managers were held between December 2012 and March 2013, in the prefectures of Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Yokohama. The empirical material was analyzed within a framework of interactionist role theory. The analysis suggests that the activity of providing social support to family caregivers has become incorporated into the care manager role. Reasons for providing social support can be understood as a way for care managers to strive to create a situation, that allows family caregivers to continue providing informal care to their elderly family member within the community. The study identified seven different categories of social support. Three of these categories (supporting family caregivers with LTCI services; giving information and advice; creating a supportive environment) can be seen as social support that is provided partly through the care managers’ formal work assignments. The remaining four categories (making referrals; being there; spending time talking; comfort and encouragement) can be said to fall outside of the care managers’ formal work assignments. The social support provided by care managers are partly influenced by the developer behind the LTCI scheme (the Japanese government) and the companies the care managers work for, since they partly define the care manager role. The care managers’ way of supporting family caregivers was also influenced by what they wished to accomplish by providing support as well as the care managers’ preconceptions and/or opinions about what kind of relationship they should have with family caregivers, how family caregivers should be supported in certain situations and what kind of support that was important.}},
author = {{Murofushi, Satsuki}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Providing Social Support to Family Caregivers. –An Essential Part of the Japanese Care Manager’s Role}},
year = {{2014}},
}