The Experiences of Older Unpaid Carers in New Zealand: Navigating Access to Care and Negotiating Transitions Under a ‘Cloak of Invisibility’

In an aging society, the substantial and enduring contribution to caring for an older person at home is often unpaid and largely invisible to policymakers and health professionals. Current research on caring roles has paid minimal attention to the views of older, unpaid carers looking after older adults. We explored the impact on the lifestyles of older unpaid carers of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand and the supports they would value. In this descriptive qualitative study, we undertook focus groups or individual interviews with twelve older unpaid carers (65‐plus), looking after older aged adults. General inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Four main themes were identified: mismatch between service providers’ offerings and unpaid carers’ needs, lack of recognition, caring challenges and transitions, and implications and consequences of the caring role. This research offers insight into the lives of older unpaid carers and how their caring appears to be invisible to family, health professionals, social support agencies and policy makers. We suggest that improvements to information and communication strategies about services and resources, and greater acknowledgement of the value the carer role provides, have the potential to improve the well‐being and lifestyles of older unpaid carers.