The purpose of this study was to understand the process of caregiving from the perspective of a group of family caregivers of relatives suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Grounded theory was used to elicit caregiver's experiences. Multiple unstructured interviews were conducted with 10 family caregivers who had placed their relative in an institutional setting. The findings yielded a five-stage model of gaining and relinquishing control of caregiving. Shifts in the understanding of the process delineated each stage. Properties of each stage and practice implications are discussed.
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