Beliefs and expectations of family and nursing home care among Mexican-origin caregivers

Abstract

This study examined perceptions of family care, nursing homes, and expectations of future care among 85 Mexican-origin women caregivers, some who lived in Mexico City and some who lived in East Los Angeles, California (East LA). Attitudes of Mexican-born women-living in Mexico City and in East LA-were more similar to each other than those of U.S.-born women. Most caregivers reported a preference for family care and had negative views of institutional care. In addition, despite the negative views about nursing homes, some caregivers expressed a willingness to seek nursing-home care for themselves so as to avoid burdening their children in the future. Findings lend support to the persistence of Mexican cultural values in this sample of Mexican-origin caregiving women, regardless of where they were born.

The Elderly Expectations of the Caregiver’s Sociodemographic Preferences: a Qualitative Approach

“…This study discovered that nursing homes were not considered by the elderly because it was perceived as a facility with a lack of human resources, a detached relationship between the occupants and was a disrespectful act to send parents into the nursing homes. The results are in line with a study by Mendez-Luck et al 25 conducted in Mexico who found that staying at home instead of a nursing home was considered more affectionate due to its emotional warmth and services. Care for parents require affection that could not get in the nursing homes.…”

The Socialization of Unpaid Family Caregivers: A Scoping Review

“…Role acculturation included 19 studies representing socialization as implicit and intergenerationally-transmitted. These were case studies (Au et al, 2012;Bryant & Lim, 2012;Chan et al, 2012;Hsueh et al, 2008;Mendez-Luck et al, 2017;Nance et al, 2018;Sasat, 1998;Wallhagen & Yamamoto-Mitani, 2006;Wu, 2009); ethnographies (Crosato et al, 2007;Gerdner et al, 2007;Holroyd, 2001: Jenike, 2002McAuley, 2001;Sánchez-Ayéndez, 1998); phenomenological analyses (Faronbi et al, 2019Pharr et al, 2014; grounded theory (Mendez-Luck et al, 2016); and textual analysis (Abdugafurova et al, 2017) studies. The contexts of socialization for these studies highlight caregivers' embeddedness within religious belief systems (Muslim, Christian) or purportedly collective cultural groups or locations (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nigeria, Indigenous Canadian communities, all-Black towns and migrant Latinx communities in the United States), where members' identities and practices derive primarily from their connection to the wider group.…”

“…Role acculturation included 19 studies representing socialization as implicit and intergenerationally-transmitted. These were case studies (Au et al, 2012; Bryant & Lim, 2012; Chan et al, 2012; Hsueh et al, 2008; Mendez-Luck et al, 2017; Nance et al, 2018; Sasat, 1998; Wallhagen & Yamamoto-Mitani, 2006; Wu, 2009); ethnographies (Crosato et al, 2007; Gerdner et al, 2007; Holroyd, 2001: Jenike, 2002; McAuley, 2001; Sánchez-Ayéndez, 1998); phenomenological analyses (Faronbi et al, 2019 Pharr et al, 2014); grounded theory (Mendez-Luck et al, 2016); and textual analysis (Abdugafurova et al, 2017) studies.…”

“…The fact that various caregivers report they would not wish their children to be socialized as they were suggests the consequences of socialization can be problematic. Caregivers currently caring for parents at home indicated a willingness to receive what they perceived to be inferior care in nursing homes to avoid burdening their own offspring (Mendez-Luck et al, 2017). One Japanese caregiver warned her daughter not to marry an eldest son to avoid caring for her future spouse’s parents (Jenike, 2002).…”

Sociodemographic Characteristics and Preferences for Family (Informal) and Formal Caregiver Help With ADLs

“…23 Other socioeconomic and demographic factors which influence caregiving practices such as age, gender, education, acculturation, and income have shown to have a significant association with caregiver preference. [10][11][12]24 Preference for family and formal caregivers has been attributed to cultural values and norms of caregiving, 12,17,20,25,26 health needs (e.g., cognitive impairment and disability), 15,[27][28][29][30] economic factors (e.g., income and insurance availability), 31 and household living arrangements. 21,22,32,33 The graying of the U.S. population and its increasing ethnic/racial diversification present a number of challenges and unanswered questions for policy makers, service providers, and communities.…”