Self-care behaviors of spouses caring for significant others with Alzheimer's disease: the emergence of self-care worthiness as a salient condition.

Little of our empirical knowledge regarding how family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) manage their self-care needs is grounded in the perspectives of caregivers themselves. Using a grounded theory methodology, we explored self-care behaviors of nine spousal caregivers and developed a substantive theory of finding normalcy for self that reflects how spousal caregivers restore self-care behaviors in the context of a constant state of flux. Self-care worthiness, a new concept, emerged as a salient condition of finding normalcy. This provides a starting point for understanding self-care in spousal caregivers and illuminates the intricate process of caring for self while caring for a significant other with AD.