The Bourdieusian approach to the effect of home care allowance on the process of home care for elderly: The case of Antalya

Care in old age is a social phenomenon that individuals cannot cope on their own, that is why it is also a subject of social policy. Home Care Allowance which has become valid in 2006 is an important application in terms of care policy, because it is the most financially supportive application for the process of care in old age in Turkey. In this Master's Thesis, titled as "The Bourdieusian Approach to the Effect of Home Care Allowance on the Process of Home Care for Elderly: The Case of Antalya", it is aimed to reveal the effect of Home Care Allowance on the relation between the disabled older people who are provided long-term care at home and the family members who provide care as caregiver in the process of care. These actors who are involved in the process of care are subjectively affected by Home Care Allowance which also has an objective dimension because of the alliance between the government and caregivers. In this framework, and within The Practical Act Theory of Bourdieu including habitus, capital and strategy notions, it is examined how the relation among the actors in the process of care and the relation between these actors and their environment affect the process of care. The research in this Master's Thesis is based on Qualitative Research Design. Interviews were carried out with 10 people, who were reached via The Branch Office of Old Care Services of The Department of Social Services of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, and participants' minimum age is 37 and maximum age is 77. Participants were chosen as the ones who had recieved Home Care Allowance at least one year before the interviews, and the family members who provide care for the older person in their family who is 65 and older and in the need of care. After giving information about the research and participants signed informed consent, the interviews were carried out in participants' houses. In this research; the process of making caregiving decision, family relationships, and the effect of Home Care Allowance on the capitals in the process of care were analyzed. In the light of these analyses, the findings show that caregivers develop different strategies associated with the process of care, and also these strategies which caregivers develop have impact on the struggle over economic, social and symbolic capital. The research also shows that Home Care Allowance, in the process of care, not only contributes to the economic and symbolic capital of the family member caregiver, but also affects social capital in a negative way. Keywords: Home care allowance, elderly care, economic capital, social capital, symbolic capital