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“Caring for” and “Caring About”: Embedded Interdependence and Quality of Life

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Reframing Disability and Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 52))

Abstract

Population ageing, government policies regarding the provision of personal care, and the desire of people who require such care to be in their own homes combine to increase the numbers of people in Australia who receive significant assistance in daily living from other family members. We are interested in the relationships between caregivers and care recipients and how the physical and emotional work of care impacts the health and quality of life of those providing the care. Drawing on data from a study with people with long-term health problems, we explore how the ideologies of reciprocity and familial obligations inform care work. Social and cultural factors, including gender constructions, profoundly influence the nature and experience of giving or receiving care. In particular, family relationships shape well-being and quality of life, ameliorating the challenges posed by physical circumstances.

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Acknowledgements

The research on which this chapter is based was conducted with support from the Australian Research Council (ARC) via a Federation Fellowship FF0241243 (Manderson) and a Discovery Project Grant DP0449614 (Manderson, Bennett, and Disler). We are very grateful to Peter Disler, Elizabeth Bennett, Sari Andajani-Sutjahjo, Vincent Saunders, and Bhensri Naemiratch for their contributions to the study. Ethics approval to collect data was provided by the University of Melbourne.

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  1. School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East, VIC, 3145, Australia

    Lenore Manderson & Narelle Warren

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  1. Lenore Manderson
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Correspondence to Lenore Manderson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Social Science and Health research Unit, Monash University, Dandenong Road 900, Caulfield East, 3181, Victoria, Australia

    Narelle Warren

  2. , Social Science and Health Research unit,, Monash University, Dandenong Road 900, Caulfield East, 3145, Australia

    Lenore Manderson

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Manderson, L., Warren, N. (2013). “Caring for” and “Caring About”: Embedded Interdependence and Quality of Life. In: Warren, N., Manderson, L. (eds) Reframing Disability and Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 52. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3018-2_11

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