Abstract
Caring for an adult who has acquired a disability or developed a major disease or illness provides another context of informal care work. The care relationship must be negotiated as the boundaries of the disability are gradually ascertained. In this chapter, we reflect on the way the vulnerability of the person with disability is shared with the primary informal caregiver. We give greater focus, therefore, to the person with disability as a way of recognising that as they achieve ‘reconnection’, so too does the caregiver. This provides the context for a discussion of creating authentic lives for both caregiver and cared-for. Ethical issues which can arise within this relationship have been exemplified by the feminist movement, which has given a nuanced analysis of the possibility for exploitation within this form of care. In terms of the disability movement itself, most of the dialogue about care comes from those who have acquired a disability and this dialogue highlights ethical flashpoints. The chapter concludes by considering the types of supports necessary to facilitate effective caring in these contexts.
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Notes
- 1.
For example, a situation such as that of a 56 year old man with tetraplegia killed by his paid worker (van Beynen 2010, Thursday, 17th June).
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Barrett, P., Hale, B., Butler, M. (2014). Caring for Adults with Acquired Disabilities. In: Family Care and Social Capital: Transitions in Informal Care. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6872-7_6
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