EXPLORING RECIPROCITY IN PERCEPTIONS ON TELECARE WITHIN THE INFORMAL CARER–CARE RECEIVER DYAD
In: Teorija in praksa, S. 840-859
Abstract. Informal carers' telecare acceptance decisions
depend on how their care recipients perceive telecare,
yet this relationship has not been researched very much.
This article draws on qualitative data gathered from
informal carers to explore reciprocity in telecare perceptions
within dyads of informal carers and care receivers.
A 4-month intervention study was conducted from
2018 to 2019 in the Central Slovenia region. A purposive
sample of 22 older adults and their informal carers
tested two telecare solutions. Thematic analysis was
conducted using Atlas.ti 8, with four themes emerging:
1. the benefits of telecare use for older adults; 2. reluctance,
rejection or negative perceptions of telecare; 3.
the potential violation of older adults' privacy; and 4.
the importance of external and internal information
for effective telecare use. This study confirms that that
telecare perception is dyadically interdependent.
Keywords: assistive technologies, informal care, ageing
in place, dyads, older adults