Older men’s experiences of caring for a partner with dementia

There has been increasing interest in how men experience the caring role. This may be related to greater gender equality and thus more care tasks falling to men. Demographic changes in the population and an increasing number of cases of dementia have contributed to the health authorities’ wish for relatives to take on more care tasks. A meta-synthesis can contribute to updated knowledge of how men experience the caring role when living with a female partner with dementia. The findings can provide guidelines for practice and guide political and administrative decision-making.  

The methodological approach is based on Sandelowski and Barroso's method for meta-synthesis research. Database searches will be conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Social Abstracts along with additional search strategies. 

Inclusion criteria: adult men (at any age) who are main caregivers and are living together with a female spouse or partner with dementia; adult men who have been main caregivers and have lived together with a female spouse or partner with dementia and who may share their experiences retrospectively. 

Inclusion criteria: adult men (regardless of age) who are (have been) the main carers of a female spouse or partner with dementia living at home. 

Principal investigator:Gabriele Kitzmüller

Project members: Tina Sjøvoll, Anne Clancy, Gunn-Mari Holdø