Mr. Ott, 54 years old at the time of the interview, cared for his mother, who suffered from dementia, for six years. She passed away the year before the interview. His mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia. Mr. Ott lives and works in the northeastern part of Switzerland; his mother lived in central Switzerland. Thanks to the fact that he is self-employed, Mr. Ott was able to arrange his schedule flexibly during the week and to interrupt his work at short notice when his mother needed help. On weekends, he was regularly with her to manage household chores and keep her company. After a fall at home, his mother was transferred to a nursing home, where she died a few months later. Mr. Ott has a brother who also lives in central Switzerland and took over administrative matters for his mother. Mr. Ott did not experience his mother’s dementia as a major disruption in their relationship to one another, as he had always played the role of his mother’s close caregiver and had cared for her since his father’s death 20 years ago. In addition to the support, she received from her sons, Mr. Ott’s mother got help from the outpatient nursing and visiting service as well as from those in the neighborhood.
