Relationships between nurses and family caregivers: Partners in care?

Increasing reliance on family care of elderly people at home calls for a cr itical analysis of the relationship between formal and informal caregivers. Although much has been written about how health professionals and family c aregivers should relate to one another, we know very little about the relat ionships that develop between them. Using data from a qualitative study, th is article illustrates that relationships between community nurses and fami ly members caring for frail elders are complex. dynamic, and multifaceted. Shifting boundaries in caring work leads to changes in nurse-family caregiv er relationships, which can be categorized as four distinct, yet interconne cted, types: (1) nurse-helper, (2) worker-worker, (3) manager-worker, and ( 4) nurse-patient. Each type is described, and implications for nursing prac tice and research are discussed.