Becoming an inadvertent home care user: The transition for cohabitating partners

Abstract

The aim of the study is to gain knowledge about the transition to living with formal home care for cohabiting partners. Data consist of 14 interviews with partners aged 64–85, most with extensive experience of home care. Grounded in a life course perspective, the study identified the key factors in the process of becoming an ‘inadvertent care user’, and two modes for that transition: (1) adaptions and negotiations that involve adjustments shaped by institutional regulations; (2) new roles and positions, where partners acted as guardians or mediators, but also developed new friendships. The introduction of home care often brought partners a sense of relief. While many adjustments were seen as necessary compromises, the unpredictable nature of staff visits necessitated unwelcome adaptations. The study provides new knowledge about how cohabitating partners' lives are affected by home care and the strategies they employ in the presence of care workers.