Caring for caregivers

Health and wellness have drawn significant attention in the HCI and CSCW communities. Many prior studies have focused on designing technologies that are patient-centric, allowing caregivers to take better care of patients. Less has been done in understanding and minimizing the burden of caregiving in caregivers' own lives. We conducted a qualitative interview study to understand their experiences in caregiving. The findings reveal a great magnitude of challenges in the caregivers' day-to-day lives, ranging from the physical and social, to the personal and emotional. Caregivers have to constantly balance their personal lives with work, family, and their caregiver roles, which can be overwhelmingly stressful. We discuss how caregivers attempt maintaining this balance through two concepts: first, giving-impact, and second, visibility-invisibility. Our study's findings call for system design that focuses not only on patients but also caregivers, addressing the burdens that often impair their health and wellness.