家庭照顧者議題——從性別、私領域到公共政策的觀點

Family Caregiver Issues: Gender, Privacy, and Public Policy Perspectives

由於人口結構老化的趨勢，長期照顧成為越來越受重視的議題。依據統計數據顯示，大部分長期照護的責任仍由家庭承擔，且超過七成的家庭照顧者為女性。過去由於性別分工與性別角色期待的差異，女性擔任家庭照顧工作是她份內該做的事，而男性成為家庭照顧者則被視為難能可貴的貢獻，兩性的照顧歷程是截然不同的生命經驗。在過去這幾年，從民法修法的脈絡可以看出家庭照顧的勞務貢獻獲得肯定，而照顧者津貼的實踐，則宣告了照顧責任從家庭到社會的轉移。現在，傳統性別分工的模式已逐漸瓦解，且隨著家庭結構縮小、女性投入就業市場、長照十年計畫及長照保險的陸續實施，勞務外包的現象將越來越普遍，家庭照顧從私領域成為公共政策的議題。未來，除了家庭照顧者需要持續的關懷與支持，各項照顧服務方案的品質提昇與監測亦日形重要。護理人員身為長期照顧團隊中重要的專業成員，在提供病患護理服務的同時，也應關注家庭照顧的議題，將照顧者納入護理計畫，才能確保案家獲得全面性及持續性照顧，以提昇護理品質。

Due to the phenomenon of Taiwan’s aging population has made, long-term care has become an issue of increasingly emphasized importance. According to the statistics, the family takes responsibility for most long-term care duties and more than 70% of primary family caregivers are female. In the past, because of gender-based divisions of labor and gender role expectations made, it was taken for granted that females would be the socially preferred family caregivers. Those men who devoting in themselves to such work were regarded as a rare precious. As such, family care signified entailed different life experiences for males and females. Over the years, amendments to the civil code have recognized family care contributions, and the allowance for caregivers underlines that care responsibilities have shifted away from the family to society. Traditional gender divisions of labor today are significantly more blurred; family structures have become smaller in size; female labor in the workplace has increased; and ten-year long-term care plans and long-term care insurance have been successively implemented. These transformations will make labor outsourcing more and more popular and transform family care from a private problem to a pubic policy issue. In the future, family caregivers require consideration and support on a sustained basis. It is also important to improve and monitor the quality of care services. Nurses, the major professional members of long-term care teams, should be concerned over the issue of family care while providing nursing care. They should include family caregivers in the care plan so that they can make sure that patients receive comprehensive and constant care in order to enhance the overall quality of nursing care.