Thick Care: Patterning Care in Complexity

This thesis examines the theoretical orientation of complexity, systems theory and an Ethic of Care. It asserts that these share a common ontology that has utility for developing an improved model for researching and designing care-based services. The thesis identifies the potential to designing for service for combining complex systems theory with an Ethic of Care. It gives fresh empirical insight into designing for service and Australian community aged care from applying an original framework, Thick Care, for understanding experience resulting from service system behaviour.