The experience of living with a husband or partner who has a life-limiting illness

Abstract

When an individual is cared for from within the household, this care-giver is most likely to be their spouse or partner. Research to date has explored the impact of life-limiting illness on spouses and partners, as well as other family members. Studies have described some of the ways in which a life-limiting illness can impact on a spouse or partner physically and emotionally; and the role changes that they may face. Often research publications have grouped together participants who differ from one another in terms of age and gender, and it can be argued that there is value in focusing more narrowly on specific groups; in order to gain a detailed, in-depth appreciation of their distinct experiences. The initial part of this thesis critically evaluates recent research investigating the impact on individuals who have a family member with a life-limiting illness. This includes identifying key themes arising across studies which highlight the multitude of ways in which life-limiting illness can affect family members. This is followed by an empirical paper detailing a piece of idiographic qualitative research which sought to explore the experiences of older women living with a husband or partner who have a life-limiting illness. Six over-arching themes emerged from the interviews which described these experiences.

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