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An ethic of care and sibling care in older age
- Author:
- BARNES Marian
- Journal article citation:
- Families, Relationships and Societies, 1(1), 2012, pp.7-23.
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
Current feminist care ethics emphasises the relational nature of care which suggests the importance of understanding the different dynamics of care in different relational contexts. This article applies such a perspective to a small number of interviews with carers looking after siblings in older age. While some attention has been given to sibling care following the death of parents of people with learning difficulties and, to a lesser extent, those with enduring mental health problems, older sibling care can take place when siblings become ill, or when they have had close contact over a lifetime. Personal descriptions suggested that motivations to care are strongly embedded in family responsibility, but the precise meaning and consequences of this vary. Such relationships may not be more egalitarian than other familial caring relationships, although it was noted that caregiving brought older siblings closer together.