Reframing Family Caregiving through Reflection: The Good Things Diary of Caregiving
Takeshi Kurinobu
Associate Professor, Saitama Prefectural University, Japan

February 2026

As population ageing progresses in Japan, the number of people providing family care at home has been rapidly increasing. According to recent estimates, approximately 6.53 million people in Japan are family caregivers (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2022). Among them, “elder-to-elder caregiving,” in which both the caregiver and the care recipient are aged 65 or older, accounts for 63.5 per cent of all family caregiving situations (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2022). At the same time, the number of “double carers” who combine childcare and elder care has increased. It has been reported that approximately 290,000 people in Japan are double carers (Mainichi Shimbun, 2024). In addition, caregiving responsibilities have led many people to leave their jobs. In Japan, about 106,000 people left their jobs for this reason in 2021 (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2022).

Under these circumstances, the social and psychological burden on family caregivers is substantial. A national survey indicates that 69.2 per cent of co-resident primary family caregivers report experiencing worries or stress in their daily lives (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2022). Feelings of isolation and exhaustion are not uncommon. In Japan, the word “caregiving” itself is often associated with dark and negative images, such as suffering, hardship, and sacrifice.

I previously worked as a professional care worker in a residential care setting, and I am now a researcher in psychology within the field of social welfare. As part of my research activities, I have been organising an event twice a year called “Our Care Bragging Meeting by Care Workers,” where professional caregivers gather to share practical experiences from their daily work. At these meetings, caregivers talk about small but meaningful moments in care, and they speak about caregiving with enthusiasm and enjoyment. Observing these interactions led me to wonder whether family caregivers might also be able to ease some of their psychological distress if they had a way to reflect on caregiving experiences in a more positive manner.

Previous research suggests that caregiving is not exclusively negative. Tarlow et al. (2004) demonstrated that family caregivers experience positive aspects within their caregiving roles, conceptualised as the Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC). Other studies have shown that sharing positive caregiving experiences with peers can help reduce depressive symptoms among caregivers (Cheng et al., 2016). However, gathering regularly with peers is often unrealistic for family caregivers, who are typically pressed for time and energy. This led me to consider whether there might be a more accessible and flexible approach that could fit into their everyday lives.

In response, we developed the Good Things Diary of Caregiving (GTDiary) and examined its effects. The diary is intentionally simple. Caregivers are asked to reflect on their day and write down, even in brief sentences, anything related to caregiving that they felt was “good.” Examples include “I saw the care recipient smile,” “We shared memories from the past,” or “There was a difficult moment, but I managed to cope with it.” Any small or seemingly trivial positive experience is acceptable.

Some caregivers wrote their diary entries in very simple language. For example: “My father wanted to listen to music by his favourite artist. I searched for it on YouTube and played it for him. He looked very happy, and I felt that I could be of help.” Another caregiver wrote: “I gently rubbed the area below my mother’s left knee without using much strength. She said, ‘Thank you. Go to bed early.’ We watched television together today, and it felt like a fulfilling day. I am grateful.”

In our study, participants were assigned to one of two groups. For 14 days, one group wrote the GTDiary, while the other group wrote a general caregiving diary describing daily caregiving events. The results showed that caregivers who wrote the GTDiary reported higher levels of positive appraisal of caregiving and better mental well-being compared to those who wrote the general caregiving diary (Kurinobu et al., 2024).

Of course, the GTDiary does not eliminate the fundamental challenges of caregiving. Family caregiving remains physically and emotionally demanding, and the importance of formal caregiving services cannot be overstated. Nevertheless, the GTDiary requires no financial cost or special preparation, and caregivers can engage in it at a time of their choosing. Building on this work, we are currently exploring whether reading or sharing others’ GTDiary entries online may further support positive perspectives on caregiving. I sincerely hope that such small and accessible practices can help make the time spent on family caregiving slightly more meaningful for those who provide care.