Published by Fight Bladder Cancer, Issue 11
CHLOE THOMSON
PhD student, Edge Hill University
Hi, my name’s Chloe. I'm 25, from Lancashire and am exploring the experiences of informal male carers for my PhD in Health.
Beginning my academic story, I studied for a degree in Health and Social Wellbeing (Edge Hill University), before completing an MSc in Dementia Care and the Enabling Environment (University of Salford). During this time, I worked as a dementia healthcare assistant within care homes and became interested in the stories of those I was caring for, specifically the care they had been given at home prior to entering ‘formal’ care. The opportunity to study a PhD and teach arose at Edge Hill University in 2018, which brings us to the present – the final stretch of my doctoral journey!
What is my research about?
My research is exploring the male experience of providing general or specific care to significant others, and the impact on mental wellbeing. I realise that the term ‘informal care’ is in itself an oxymoron – but this is the term most commonly used for those caring for family and friends. By using a combination of photography and interview, I have been uncovering the stories from men caring for their partners, children and parents.
Why is this research needed?
There is an overwhelming amount of academic literature focusing on the care experience, from a largely female perspective. This often reports on the pressures that women face alongside or from their care responsibilities, or highlights the support networks that women have access to. However, the male perspective is commonly neglected from this narrative. This made me wonder how men experience their care role, because 42 per cent of UK carers are men, are we missing nearly half of the story?
What inspired me to conduct research in this field?
My inspiration for this area of research was two-fold; firstly, the need for learning more about the male experience of caring and how this might impact on future support, and secondly my personal experience. Working as a dementia healthcare assistant taught me about the caring dynamic, and highlighted that there is often a carer – or partner, family member or friend – at the centre of a patient’s story as well. This made me wonder, where was the narrative from the individual providing that care?
Alongside this, I have known informal male carers personally, whose experiences have quite noticeably differed from women. Whether they have had less access or knowledge about support, felt unable to reach out for support, been subject to expectations that they would remain working full time alongside their care role or, simply did not even identify as a carer. On the contrary, they experienced a greater bond with the individual they were caring for, found pride in their ability to take on this new role and ‘perform’ well, or felt empowered to prioritise their own time, hobbies or forms of escapism as a way of managing the stress that came with caring.
It is not to say that these are the shared experiences of every male carer, nor that female carers do not share these experiences at all. I merely highlight the importance of listening to male carers, and discovering where change can be made to improve their experience, and where this differs from the female carer needs.
The future
This research is still ongoing. Preliminary findings are being drawn but there are still more stories to be heard. If you or someone you know is interested in taking part and sharing your experiences as a male carer, my contact details are attached.