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Research Article Volume 11 Issue 1
Caring for dependent elderly people: meanings and implications of family care
Cidália da Fátima Cabral de Frias, Maria Helena Mendes Vieira, José Carlos dos Reis Lopes
Professor at the University of the Azores, School of Health Sciences, Portugal
Received: January 25, 2026 | Published: February 11, 2026
Citation: Lopes JCR, Frias CFC, Vieira MHM. Caring for dependent elderly people: meanings and implications of family care. MOJ Gerontol Ger. 2026;11(1):7‒9. DOI: 10.15406/mojgg.2026.11.00351
Abstract
Introduction: Family care for
dependent elderly people is a complex, often unplanned process that has
significant repercussions on the physical, emotional, social and economic
well-being of carers. However, caring for dependent elderly people is not
necessarily a solely negative experience, as widely documented, but can also
motivate positive aspects that stem from gratification. Literature has
traditionally focused on the negative consequences, such as overload and
stress, although more recent studies highlight the coexistence of positive
dimensions, such as gratification and personal fulfilment.
Objective: To analyze the
meaning and implications of becoming a family carer for a dependent elderly
person, exploring both the negative and positive aspects of caring experience.
Methods:
Qualitative
ethnographic study using participant observation. Twenty-one family carers of
dependent elderly people living in the Autonomous Region of the Azores,
Portugal, participated. Data collection took place between September 2020 and
October 2021.
The
data were subjected to thematic content analysis.
Results: Caregiving was
found to be associated with high physical, emotional, and economic burden, with
a significant impact on the personal, family, and social lives of caregivers,
as well as the emergence of family conflicts. At the same time, caregiving was
experienced as a source of love, gratitude, pleasure, and personal fulfilment.
The caregiving experience emerges as lonely and ambivalent, integrating
sacrifice and reward.
Conclusion: Family care for
dependent older adults is a multidimensional phenomenon, deeply influenced by
the caregiver's subjective assessment, relational history and available
contextual resources. Health professionals' interventions should recognise the
caregiver as a central actor in the continuity of care, promoting strategies
that favour their well-being and quality of life.
Keywords: family caregiver, dependent elderly person, caregiver burden, quality of life, qualitative research
©2026 Lopes, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.