Caregiving in Social Context

Abstract

The heterogeneity of family caregiving is explored with specific emphasis on differences by gender, age, race, and area of residence. The aging of the population and other social structural changes during the next several decades will simultaneously increase the size of the population in need of long-term care and constrain the options available to frail elders and their care providers. Research suggests that there will be particularly deleterious consequences for women, older elders, nonwhites, and those who live in rural areas. In addition to these social characteristics, elder abuse and neglect, negative outcomes sometimes associated with caregiving, and the importance of linkages between formal and informal providers are discussed. Finally, the many contributions of older people to society and the fact that most elders are aging well are addressed. The modification of curricula to reflect caregiving in social context will enhance training programs designed for formal and informal providers who work with impaired elders and formal courses available to students in academic institutions. The latter represent future decision makers who will have the opportunity to influence public policies and intervention strategies whose benefits will redound to frail elders and their care providers.

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“…However, for normative and structural reasons, the caregiver role can shift to other family members, and although nearly as a rule, when a caregiver is to be identified, the statistics favour women. Thus, by hierarchy, daughters, daughters-in-law and granddaughters tend to be chosen (Dwyer, Folts, & Rosenberg, 1994) or, as was a constant in our results, sisters.…”

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“…On the other hand, Dwyer and associates questioned the presumed continued positive effect of rural communal life on the prevention of abuse and neglect of older persons (Dwyer, Folts, and Rosenberg 1994). They maintained that the aging of the population and other social structural changes will result in an increase in the size of the population in need of long-term care and a decrease in the options available to frail elders and their care providers.…”