Entre el deber y el querer: El proceso y las motivaciones del cuidado femenino en la vejez

Background and Objectives Many older adults face physical limitations to performing activities of daily life (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily life (IADLs) and seek help with performing them. In Mexico, family caregivers, especially spouses and adult children, traditionally take care of older adults. However, a detailed characterization of the care received has not been thoroughly provided. We sought to identify socioeconomic, demographic, and health-related differences in receiving help among older adults reporting physical limitations. Research Design and Methods Using the 2012 wave of the Mexican Health and Aging Study, we provided information on adults aged 60+ who reported one or more physical limitations and whether they received help or not. We estimated two logistic regression models to obtain the odds ratios (ORs) of receiving help among individuals with an ADL limitation and those with an IADL limitation. Results Adults with ADL limitations received, on average, approximately 10.7 hours of assistance per day, whereas those with at least one IADL limitation received around 7.7 hours of help per day. Women were more likely to receive help with ADLs than men (OR = 2.35). Individuals with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis also received more help with both ADLs and IADLs. Discussion and Implications Our work suggests that help received does respond to the care needs of older adults, but future research should focus on the burden of care for caregivers and expand this analysis using a longitudinal data approach.

show abstract

Caregiving to Older Adults With a Physical Limitation: Evidence From the Mexican Health and Aging Study

Díaz-Venegas¹,

Samper‐Ternent

Wong

2023

Innovation in Aging

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The Giving Caregivers: Resilience as a Double‐Edged Sword in the Context of Healthcare

SALDARRIAGA¹

2022

Ethnographic Praxis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper we challenge an assumption about caregivers of chronic patients that we've repeatedly encountered in our ethnographic fieldwork: that of the inherently and permanently resilient caregiver, or a person that, driven by feelings of affection for the chronic patient, will remain strong regardless of the challenges posed by the healthcare system or the disease itself. We describe three deeply rooted beliefs that explain why this assumption is still widespread within healthcare systems: the belief in caregiving as female calling, or the fact that women are assumed to have not just a biological advantage, but an interest in caregiving, the belief in individuality, or the fact that individuals are thought to have a preexisting and inalterable identity, and the belief in the pathological origin of mental illness, or the fact that we tend to ignore structural causes and social determinants of mental and emotional distress. We provide theoretical and practical evidence to support each belief and suggest tangible ways in which ethnographers and research teams working in healthcare can start to challenge said beliefs—and, as a result, transcend the assumption of the inherently resilient caregiver.

show abstract

Cumplir con el objetivo. Voces de mujeres mayores que cuidaron a familiares mayores con enfermedades crónico degenerativas en Mérida, Yucatán

Díaz Pedroza,

Villagómez Valdés

2024

Rev_p

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Las mujeres que proveen cuidados al interior de las familias no constituyen un grupo homogéneo. Sobre ellas recae una gran proporción de la carga mental y física de la vida diaria, incluso cuando su avanzada edad las coloca en condiciones de mayor vulnerabilidad. Aunque presentan una esperanza de vida mayor a los hombres, las condiciones en las que cursan su propia vejez son inciertas. En este sentido, el presente trabajo cualitativo, adherido a un marco interpretativo, a través de entrevistas a profundidad y observaciones participantes, pretende visibilizar la historia de tres mujeres, ahora mayores, que estuvieron a cargo de cuidar de familiares con enfermedades crónico degenerativas en Mérida, Yucatán, y cómo este trabajo ha impactado en su proceso de envejecimiento y en su vida. Lo anterior permite la creación de narrativas que anticipan designaciones desiguales, tensiones y costos invisibles para aquellas que, mientras envejecían, se dedicaban a sostener a otros (as).

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Entre el deber y el querer: El proceso y las motivaciones del cuidado femenino en la vejez

Cited by 3 publications

References 15 publications

Caregiving to Older Adults With a Physical Limitation: Evidence From the Mexican Health and Aging Study

Caregiving to Older Adults With a Physical Limitation: Evidence From the Mexican Health and Aging Study

The Giving Caregivers: Resilience as a Double‐Edged Sword in the Context of Healthcare

Cumplir con el objetivo. Voces de mujeres mayores que cuidaron a familiares mayores con enfermedades crónico degenerativas en Mérida, Yucatán

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About