Abstract
BACKGROUND: Enhanced interactions between family caregivers and health care services can improve the care provided to older people and assist caregivers in managing their responsibilities more effectively. However, there are several barriers to involving families in care, and we need more knowledge to understand different aspects of interactions. This study with family caregivers of home-dwelling older people with mental health problems aimed to explore caregivers' experiences and perceptions of their role in interactions with health care services. METHODS: We conducted individual in-depth interviews with ten family caregivers. Braun and Clark's thematic approach guided the analysis. RESULTS: We identified two main themes. The first is the balancing act of managing trust: family caregivers navigating the caring role between empowering autonomy and taking responsibility. The second is the caregiver's role in a complex care context: family caregivers seeking knowledge, recognition, and support from professional caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Managing older people's trust is pivotal to family caregivers' interactions with health care services. These caregivers carefully balance two crucial aspects: empowering older people's autonomy and ensuring adequate health care by sharing information. To effectively involve families in the care of older people, this study highlights the need for health care services to consider the competence and time required to balance the dual responsibility of providing optimal care for older people while attending to the needs of family caregivers.