Abstract

Caregiving of infirm elders by female family members is a widespread practice. This thesis seeks to formulate a normative statement about this practice from a nursing perspective. Toward this end, the socio-cultural assumptions of women's ability and moral obligation that underlie the phenomenon of family caregiving are investigated. ;Conceptual analysis was used to clarify the moral responsibilities of women in the care of the elderly infirm in two contexts, familial and professional. Women's moral obligation to provide caregiving was analyzed from the perspective of three traditions in ethical thought--deontological, teleological and virtue theory. The notion of caregiving ability was analyzed from the perspective of the requirements of caregiving and nursing epistemology. ;The four central concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing--Person, Environment, Health and Nursing--provided the boundaries and framework of the study. ;This thesis found that gender does not determine the ability or the moral obligation to provide caregiving services to the infirm elderly. Women in families cannot be assumed to possess the knowledge or the obligation to provide caregiving. In contrast, professional nurses have both the ability and the obligation to provide caregiving on the basis of their professional credential. ;In the light of the findings of the thesis, the following guidelines for the nursing profession are proposed: For nursing practice, caregiving situations must be assessed on an individual basis. Abilities and obligations, particularly as they relate to gender, should not be assumed. Practicing nurses have an obligation to interpret and communicate the requirements of caregiving and to assist clients in values clarification. Nursing education must be directed toward instructing both present and future nurses in the moral dimensions of the profession. Knowledge-building in the ethical realm should be a priority for the profession, as should communication of the philosophical basis of professional nursing practice to the public. The findings of this thesis should be used to inform public policy formulation for the care of the elderly infirm. Excessive reliance on familial caregivers should be discouraged