Conceptions of family caregivers: Implications for professional practice

The formal sector's increasing recourse to families poses questions concerning the type and degree of participation that is expected of family caregivers and the conceptions that exist regarding them. This article examines different conceptions and their implications for practice, based on reflexions emanating from the authors' 15 years of empirical research on caregiving. A typology of practice approaches based on the various conceptions is presented including: the dependent adult approach, the caregiver as joint-client, the caregiver as resource and the caregiver as partner approach. Each of these approaches is based on a framework of beliefs, values and principles which shape policy and practice and have implications for how caregivers are perceived and served. The authors propose an alternative community-oriented approach which addresses the limitations of those which currently dominate homecare policy and practice.