Spousal caregiving and crossing gender boundaries: Maintaining gendered identities

Calasanti, Toni; Bowen, Mary Elizabeth

doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2005.08.001

Cited by 118 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, a study of women with dementia and handbags found that the bags enabled connections to memories and identities and that keeping bags symbolised resistance to loss of identity (Buse & Twigg, 2014). Heterosexual spousal carers also supported their partner with dementia to retain their identity, through maintaining a level of gendered sense of self and appearance, such as applying make-up for a female partner (Calasanti & Bowen, 2006). For lesbian and bisexual women, having their identity recognised and acknowledged can be problematic within heteronormative care contexts, which may lead to avoidance of support services (Price, 2010;Price, 2011;Westwood, 2014).…”

Section: Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of dementia on women internationally: An integrative review

Erol

Brooker

Peel

2016

Health Care for Women International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Women are disproportionately affected by dementia, both in terms of developing dementia and becoming caregivers. We conducted an integrative review of English language literature of the issues affecting women in relation to dementia from an international perspective. The majority of relevant studies were conducted in high income countries, and none were from low-income countries. The effects of caregiving on health, wellbeing and finances are greater for women; issues facing women, particularly in low and middle-income countries need to be better understood.Research should focus on building resilience to help people adjust and cope long term.Dementia is a global public health issue that disproportionately affects women, either through developing the condition themselves, or as a carer for someone with dementia. The effects on women of living with or caring for someone with dementia from an international perspective needs to be more fully understood. In our review of the published literature, we explore the impact of dementia on changing roles, identity, wellbeing and finances for women in both high-income and low-and middle income countries. An improved understanding of these factors can support research, and policy developments, that address the issues specifically relevant to women.As age is the greatest risk factor for dementia, and women have a greater life expectancy worldwide than men, a larger number of people with dementia are women (Alzheimer's Association, 2014).There are also clinical differences between genders in disease risk and severity, especially in relation to dementia and cognition (Carter et al., 2012). There is a significant association between age, gender, and dementia in many areas of the world, with women showing a higher prevalence rate for dementia than men (Bamford, 2011;Takeda et al., 2011; Alzheimer's Disease International, 2015) expectation that women will assume caregiving roles (Godfrey & Warshaw, 2009;Lantz, 2009;Gibbons et al., 2014). In many studies of dementia caregivers, all or most participants are women, reflecting the disproportionate extent to which women are relied upon as carers, although few reports focus on gender specifically (Robinson et al., 2014). Therefore the assumption that women provide informal care to people with dementia is embedded (often implicitly) in much of the existing research.The financial impact of providing dementia care on family caregivers is substantial; caregivers in the United States reported that they were reluctant to take time off work to provide care, or took on additional work to cover caregiving costs, which had increased because of the recent economic downturn (Evercare, 2009). Women may also have the responsibility of caring for young children alongside caring for a parent with dementia -referred to as the 'sandwich generation' (Solberg et 3 al., 2014). Despite this (often dual) caring responsibility, families often prefer , for a variety of cultural, obligational and practical reasons to continue to provide care at ho...

show abstract

Section: Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of dementia on women internationally: An integrative review

Erol

Brooker

Peel

2016

Health Care for Women International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Réaliser des tâches domestiques, intégrer des gestes associés à l'aide, dispenser des soins corporels à leurs épouses deviennent pour certains des actes quotidiens [20]. D'ailleurs, les aidants hommes déclarent éprouver un sentiment d'injustice sociale [2], mais reconnaissent que cet évènement a renforcé les liens familiaux [21].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Prendre soin des personnes après AVC : réactions émotionnelles des aidants informels hommes et femmes

Bucki¹,

Spitz²,

Baumann³

2012

Santé Publique

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Résumé : Deux ans après la survenue d'un accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC), les réactions émotionnelles des aidants informels hommes et femmes et leurs répercussions sociales et psychologiques ont été analysées. 62 dyades patient (64,4 ans) / aidant informel (59,3 ans) ont répondu à domicile à un questionnaire administré par un enquêteur : 1) déficiences résiduelles de l'AVC classées selon l'American Heart Association Stroke Outcome Classification ; 2) réactions émotionnelles du 'Caregiver Reaction Assessment' ; 3) évolution de la répartition des activités au sein du foyer familial. Les retombées de l'aide affectent davantage les femmes que les hommes sur l'état de santé, l'organisation de l'emploi du temps et le manque de soutien familial. Les femmes se sentent « fatiguées » (50 % vs 12,5 % des hommes), ne parviennent pas à « trouver du temps pour se détendre » (35,7% vs 6,3 %) et estiment que « les autres se sont déchargés sur elles » (35,7 % vs 11,8 %). Plus qu'avant la survenue de l'AVC, elles estiment assurer les responsabilités au sein du foyer (37,5 % vs 5,9 %). En revanche, les hommes déclarent « prendre plaisir à s'occuper » des patient-e-s (93,8 % vs 67,9 % chez les femmes) et organiser plus qu'avant des loisirs tels que les vacances (29 % vs 5,6 %) et les invitations d'amis (20,6 % vs 10,5 %). L'épuisement des aidants, en particulier des femmes, les définit aujourd'hui comme une « population à risque ». Des interventions comme le trialogue et le counseling devraient permettre aux professionnels de mieux répondre à leurs besoins.Mots-clés : Soutien informel -accident cérébrovasculaire -femme -homme. Summary:The objective of this study was to assess the emotional response to caregiving among stroke caregivers and to assess the social and psychological impact of strokes on households two years after the event. Questionnaires were administered to 62 patient (64.4 years old)/caregiver (59.3 years old) dyads. The survey focused on: 1) residual impairments, based on the American Heart Association Stroke Outcome Classification; 2) the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA -24 items -5 dimensions); and 3) changes in the division of household tasks (seven items). Although male and female caregivers care for patients with similar residual impairments, the study found that female caregivers were more likely to be affected by the impact of caregiving on their health and schedule and by lack of family support. Women were more likely to feel "tired all the time" (50% vs. 12.5%), to struggle to "find time to relax" (35.7% vs. 6.3%) and to feel that "others dumped caring onto them" (35.7% vs. 11.8%). Since the onset of stroke, women had also taken on more responsibilities in the household (37.5% vs. 5.9%), while men were more likely to "enjoy caring" for patients (93.8% vs. 67.9%) and to have become more involved in organizing holidays (29% vs. 5.6%) and seeing friends (20.6% vs. 10.5%). Because of the high level of exhaustion, particularly among women, caregivers are a high-risk population for the healthcare system. In...

show abstract

“…These same factors have also resulted in an increase in the number of males providing care to adults, most often spouses. Males, however, have not had the same tradition of and experiences with caregiving that females have had and thus might approach the task somewhat differently (Calasanti & Bowen, 2006).A substantial proportion of current female AD caregivers was born in the first third of the 20th century and formed many of their views on caregiving during the 1930s and 1940s. Caregiving, both of children and adults, during this time was largely a family/friend matter.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influences of Gender and Religiousness on Alzheimer Disease Caregivers' Use of Informal Support and Formal Services

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective-This study explored how male and female family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients differ in their use of formal services and informal support and how religiousness may affect such differences.Methods-Data were from a sample of 720 family caregivers of AD patients who participated in the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Heath (REACH I) study sites in Birmingham, Boston, Memphis, and Philadelphia.Results-Female caregivers were less likely to use in-home services than males (M = 0.83 vs. M = 1.06, p < .01) but reported more use of transportation services (21.6% vs. 12.7%, p < .01) and more use of informal support (M = 13.9 vs. M = 10.7, p < .01). Mediation tests suggested that three measures of religiousness helped explain the relationship between gender and use of formal services and informal support.Discussion-These findings highlight the necessity to assess AD caregivers' religiousness to better understand their circumstances. Keywordsgender; Alzheimer's caregiving; religiousness; service use Women have had a long history as the primary caregivers in American society. With medical advances and increased longevity, this has increasingly included care of older adults. These same factors have also resulted in an increase in the number of males providing care to adults, most often spouses. Males, however, have not had the same tradition of and experiences with caregiving that females have had and thus might approach the task somewhat differently (Calasanti & Bowen, 2006).A substantial proportion of current female AD caregivers was born in the first third of the 20th century and formed many of their views on caregiving during the 1930s and 1940s. Caregiving, both of children and adults, during this time was largely a family/friend matter. Day care was Please address correspondence to Fei Sun, Social Work Department, Arizona State University, #3251, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale, AZ, 85306-4908; sun011@bama.ua.edu. NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript J Aging Health. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 February 10. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript not readily available, elder care programs were nonexistent, and the proportion of married women who worked outside the home was low (Velkoff & Lawson, 1998). Consequently, care systems were largely informal.Beyond the family, the primary institution that provided support and help to individuals was the church. Mothers, perhaps because they had primary responsibility for the socialization of their children, were more heavily involved with the church and thus could, at least on occasion, find support and assistance from the church community (Levitt, 1995). Males from this same era had primary responsibility for providing financially for the family and had less involvement in direct care of children or, in those cases where it occurred, adult care. They also generally had less involvement with the church, at least as a system of social support (Francis, 1997).The biographical context ...

show abstract

Spousal caregiving and crossing gender boundaries: Maintaining gendered identities

Cited by 118 publications

References 15 publications

The impact of dementia on women internationally: An integrative review

The impact of dementia on women internationally: An integrative review

Prendre soin des personnes après AVC : réactions émotionnelles des aidants informels hommes et femmes

The Influences of Gender and Religiousness on Alzheimer Disease Caregivers' Use of Informal Support and Formal Services

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About