Finding meaning in caring for elderly relatives: loss and personal growth.

The literature on family caregiving has focused primarily on caregiver burden and demographic characteristics of caregiver groups. Little has been written about the existential aspects of caring for an aging relative. The article focuses on the meaning of the experience as expressed by family caregivers to elderly relatives and the role this meaning plays in enabling the family member to remain in the caregiving role. The caregiving passage includes families facing loss, identifying turning points, rediscovering a sense of self, and experiencing feelings of satisfaction and enhanced self-worth.