Exploring the Motivations of Family Caregivers Caring for Older Persons in Urban Poor Accra, Ghana

Abstract

There is a general paucity of studies on family caregivers’ motivations for providing care to older persons in the urban poor context in Ghana. This study seeks to explore family caregivers’ motivations for providing care to older persons in urban poor Accra, Ghana. A qualitative descriptive design was used and in-depth interviews were conducted with 31 family caregivers. The QSR NVivo 10 software was used to analyze the data thematically. We found that autonomous motivation inspired family caregivers to provide care. Empathy and affection intrinsically motivated some caregivers to provide care to their recipients, while others were extrinsically motivated by filial responsibility, reciprocity, and obligation to provide care. These findings showed that family caregivers were automatically motivated to provide care to older people. We recommend the need for future studies to explore changes in family caregivers’ motivations to provide care over time.