Emotional solidarity in taking care of seniors

Abstract

Karlova univerzita v Praze, Fakulta sociálních věd, Institut sociologických studií Summary Within the framework of a research into the Family solidarity, which served as a basis of the article presented here, a questionnaire examination was employed to address more than 400 families taking care of seniors who were not self-sufficient. From these families, about 10% of seniors completed an independent questionnaire supplementing information by the point of view of the senior who experienced the care. The research was focused on dimensions of the family solidarity according to V. L. Bengtson, and in the present article, the emotional solidarity is dealt with, expressed by the degree of the reciprocity in the emotional relationship. In the first part of the article, the emotional solidarity is considered as one of basic components of the inter-generation solidarity with taking into account its importance in family relationships in the course of taking care of seniors. The second part is aimed at the emotional solidarity directed to factors affecting the relationships between the caregiver and the senior. For the analysis, the linear regression method was used and models based on it were independently established for different conditions: for home caregivers taking the care of seniors in households, and for institutional caregivers taking the care of seniors housed in institutions. Conclusions of the analysis suggest that the previous help and similarity of mutual relationships in the past are the most important factors affecting the contemporary emotional bonds in the relationship between the caregiver and the senior.