The Lived Experiences of Israeli Arab Moslems Who are Caring for a Relative with Cognitive Decline

Abstract

The study examined the lived experience of caring for a relative with cognitive decline. The informants were 18 Arab, Moslem caregivers living in rural communities in Northern Israel who participated in personal interviews. The transcripts were analyzed using the hermeneutic phenomenological approach to the study of human behavior (van Manen, 1998). The results clarified how social location affects caregiving perceptions, decisions, and actions. The portrayed experiences were complex and involved the dimensions of life, including individuals, family-neighbors, and social-political environments. The holistic overview of the transcripts indicated the inseparable political and personal influences on perceptions of caregivers, a conflict of old and new social viewpoints, the absence of one main caregiver for the divided duties of several family members, and the lack of scientific information about the condition of the relative. Several motivations for caregiving were documented and examples of personal, interpersonal, and community resources were provided.

Alzheimer’s Disease and the Elderly in Israel

“…This difference might be attributed to the unique values shared by the Arab population including communitarian concepts, collective consciousness, solidarity, mutual concern, and interdependence as emerged in a qualitative study conducted with 18 Arab caregivers of patients with AD living in rural communities in the Northern part of Israel. 35 …”

Does filial piety decrease depression among family caregivers?

“…Caring for older parents is frequently associated with increased depressive symptoms on the part of the family caregiver (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003). In comparison, little research has been done on psychological distress among Arab-Israeli caregivers (Leichtentritt, Schwartz, & Rettig, 2004;Lowenstein & Katz, 2000). In one study of the phenomenon, for example, Lowenstein (1999) examined the effects of ethnic, personal, and familial resources on the mental health of family caregivers in cases of dementia.…”

“…It is usually seen as a normative duty and obligation of adult children in traditional societies (Sung, 1998). The literature cites several motives that lead children to care for their elderly parents in a variety of settings (Cicirelli, 1993;Leichtentritt, Schwartz, & Rettig, 2004;Sung, 1995). These include respect, desire to preserve family harmony, love and affection toward parents, sense of responsibility on the part of the children, and a desire to repay the parents for their physical and financial sacrifice (Kao & Travis, 2005;Sung, 1995).…”

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“…1999). One qualitative study noted an association between motivations for providing care for a sick older family member and future family care expectations in the Arab population in Israel (Leichtentritt et al . 2004).…”