In conclusion, the extent to which caregivers feel connected to others, redefine their personal use of time, feel comfortable with their new responsibilities and see themselves as recognised for the work they do indicates how they are managing this transition and whether they are achieving balance in their new role, i.e. from feeling exclusively a caregiver to being also a caregiver. To inform nurses in practice better, it will be necessary to design and test nursing interventions and process/outcome indicators related to the transition experienced by new caregivers – from feeling overwhelmed to developing an integrated sense of being and managing caregiving – to develop a useful and specific model that will support nursing practice and research.