Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the relationship between archetypical depictions of people providing care in a person's own home, and stories of actual caregivers, kin and non-kin, paid or not. I identify experiences that both reproduce and disrupt personal and societal values associated with care.

Paper long abstract:

How does caregiving augment or deflate a caregiver's perceived sense of self worth? How/why is this impacted by kin relatedness, receiving an income, or the reasons for becoming a carer?

Analysis of recent films reveals the emergence of a carer archetype. Those caring for someone who is critically/terminally ill, whether or not they are kin, are provided with culturally-recognised opportunities to find meaning and value. Characters with a questionable past redeem themselves through the heroic act of care. They may even be seen to bring out a previously obscured authenticity in the person for whom they care (an assumption behind the notion of 'person-centred care').

This contrasts with stories from women engaged in dementia care, who see care as their kin-based responsibility. They have a complex relationship to their carer role, reporting cycles of losing and finding their sense of self, and often feeling devalued. This perception of being devalued can come from the person for whom they care, who may not have the capacity to be appreciative; by other kin uncomfortable/guilty with the distribution of the responsibility of care; or by a society inadequately equipped to support family carers.

Through contrasting archetypes as well as the stories of people, professional and informal, who provide care in a person's own home, anthropology, through its ability to reveal social, emotional and psychic structures, can illuminate the conditions within which care does or does not accumulate personal and social value.