Table 2 Illustration of the framework

James is 57 years old, works part-time in the health and social care sector and provides care for his wife, who suffers from a progressive neurological disorder and dementia. James finds the combination of paid work and family care burdensome. Because of the progressive neurological disorder and dementia, his wife’s behaviour has changed and she is sometimes aggressive and unpredictable. James cannot share the care tasks with others because his wife does not accept help from others. When James is at work, he often receives phone calls from his wife, which distracts him sometimes. James has a senior position, but he wants less demanding tasks and does not want to work on weekends anymore because it is too much to combine this with the care for his wife. James discussed this with his supervisor, but there was no understanding for his situation and it was not possible to adapt his work situation. He feels pressured, he experiences a psychological burden and the situation costs him a lot of energy. When James starts experiencing physical complaints because of the stress, he decides that changes have to be made. He cannot change the situation at home because his wife does not accept help from others. Therefore he feels that his only option is to find another job.

Situation: For this family caregiver, the barriers are mainly at work (e.g. demanding tasks, working in weekends, no understanding from his supervisor, no arrangements to adapt his work) and in the care (e.g. the care recipient claims the family caregiver and does not accept help from others).

Experiences and needs: Because of these barriers the family caregiver experiences the combination of work and care as burdensome.

Strategies and impact on health and wellbeing: His first strategy (discussing his situation with his supervisor) did not have the desired result as no arrangements could be made. This impacted his mental and physical health, which made the situation even more difficult. Then he adopted another strategy (searching for another job), which will impact his work situation if he changes jobs and will probably improve his health and wellbeing.

Emma is 52 years old, works fulltime in the financial sector and provides care to her father, who was diagnosed with incurable cancer three months ago. The prognosis is bad and they have started chemotherapy to prolong his life and ease symptoms. Emma expects that her father will not be around for much longer. She is determined to provide the care he needs until the end, together with her sister. Emma and her father have a close relationship and can talk about everything. Her father indicated that if the care becomes too intensive for her, he wants to go to a hospice. Knowing this gives Emma confidence that she will be able to cope with the situation. Emma has informed her supervisor and colleagues about her father’s situation. They support her by listening and they help find solutions if necessary. Emma can be flexible in scheduling work appointments and can easily work remotely. Sometimes she works on her laptop in the hospital when her father is receiving chemotherapy. Emma likes her job and working provides respite from care. Because of the social support she receives at work, Emma does not experience barriers in the combination of work and care and therefore experiences no impact on her own health. However, knowing that she will lose her father soon makes her feel very sad and frustrated. For her the grieving process has already begun.

Situation: This family caregiver experiences few barriers in the combination of care and work since she has resources from work (e.g. social support, flexibility at work, ability to work remotely and respite from care). Also, characteristics of the care situation (e.g. the close relationship with the care recipient, good communication with the care recipient, limited expected duration in which care is needed and the option to transfer her father to a hospice if necessary) and context factors (e.g. sharing care tasks) help her cope with the situation.

Experiences and needs: This caregiver can successfully combine work and care and does not find the combination difficult.

Health and wellbeing: The situation is emotionally demanding due to the impending death of her father. Thus, her experiences have some impact on her health and wellbeing.