Results
Of the thirty-three participants randomised to the intervention group, thirty were interviewed over a two-year period with each interview lasting approximately 2.5 h in duration. The interviews were conducted between September 2019 and April 2021. An occupational therapy practitioner/PhD qualified qualitative researcher and the first author listed conducted the interviews and did the initial coding. Two care recipients died before the intervention could be conducted, and one participant could not be contacted.Ten of the participants interviewed were spousal carers with three being husbands, and seven being wives. Eleven were daughters, six were sons, three were other relatives and one was a close friend. The participants ranged in age from 52 to 88 years old and included 13 males (mean age 68.5 years) and 17 females (mean age 73.6 years). Eight care recipients resided in their own homes with their primary carer and twenty-two resided in residential aged care facilities.Analysis of participant’s responses were distilled into three major themes. Three main themes were identified: Carers’ perceived stressors, systemic barriers to care provision, and future planning. A detailed exposition of these themes is described using anonymised quotes with fictitious participant numbers for the participants themselves. Throughout, the voices of the participants are heard as a way of validating their experiences.