The performativity of informal care: Exploring the relationship between the dementia care role and mobility

Description

Continued population ageing in most societies means more individuals may develop neurodegenerative conditions, which require care. Unless formal care matches the growing need for care in the future, informal carers will continue to play a vital role. However, what the carer role means to the carer themselves and their mobility remains underexplored. This article applies Butler’s notion of performativity to the role of carer and considers its influence on the carers’ capability to be mobile. Using telephone interviews and graphic elicitation with 17 informal carers across England, our preliminary findings show how the perceived carer role influences the carers’ capability to be mobile by normalising expectations about what a carer should feel anddo. This normalisation is established through the social context carers are situated in. However, our preliminary findings also show that some carers subvert these expectations. These subversions include actively sharing care responsibilities, resisting the use care homes and employing formal carers for their own respite. We also find that the perceived carer role is instilled over time via growing responsibilities, expectations and perceived obligations. We conclude that the perceived carer role plays a crucial part in the carers’ capability to be mobile. This emphasises the importance of considering the capability as well as the functioning to be mobile of carers. This article highlights how a greater awareness of the intricacies of the carer role may help carers receive the support they need to realise the mobility they desire.

Period	21-Jun-2022
Event title	International Medical Geography Symposium 2022
Event type	Conference
Location	Edinburgh, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International