Philip Y. Kao PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

Conclusion
It is clear that the residents of Tacoma Pastures are final receivers of care; they will
never care for someone else in the same physically intense and arduous way. And while
there is no intrinsic meaning to old age, there can be meaning in ageing. The interactions
between formal caregivers and residents reveal that meaning is re-made everyday, and
that this meaning is nothing more or less than what it means to live as a social person.
We must not stop here, though. Why is it that taking care of an elder person carries with
it so much resistance, internal struggle and ambivalence? Isn’t it a privilege to escort
someone to the end of life (and possibly beyond)? Family members begin grieving and
preparing themselves for loss when their loved ones move into a long-term care facility.
A lament takes hold during these transitions. Caregivers are looked upon as grim
reapers, making the process of moving, downsizing and ageing an uneasy ending (Shield
1988). It seems that if we are to think more about and alter what motivates and
constitutes our care, we must unsettle the narratives we tell (about) ourselves.
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