chapter 10 opportunities and challenges of informal caregiving · caregiver gains •caregiving...
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C H A P T E R 1 0
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF INFORMAL CAREGIVING
CAREGIVING
•Caregiving
•the act of assisting people with personal
care, household chores, transportation, and
other tasks associated with daily living
•provided either by family members
without compensation or by professionals
SHRINKING POOL OF POTENTIAL
CAREGIVERS
COSTS AND BENEFITS OF INFORMAL
CARE
•For Society
•Families are expected to provide “high-
tech” and “high-touch” care
•For Informal Caregivers
•Objective Burden
•Real demands that caregivers face:
income loss, job disruption, etc.
•Subjective Burden
•Caregiver’s experience of
caregiver burden
•different caregivers appraise
caregiver stress differently
CAREGIVER GAINS
•Caregiving costs and gains are influenced
by:
•nature of the relationship between
caregiver and recipient
•family support and disharmony
•timing in the caregiver’s life
•gender and race/ethnicity
•social networks
SOURCES OF CAREGIVER STRESS
Emotional
Financial Physical
WHO ARE INFORMAL CAREGIVERS?
•Caregivers are predominantly:
•Adult children
•Followed by partners or spouses
•Women
•“Women-in-the-Middle”
•The “Sandwich Generation
FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF COLOR
•As compared to white caregivers, African-
American caregivers tend:
•To provide higher levels of care
•To have higher levels of self-efficacy
•To be more economically disadvantaged
•To be less likely to have alternative
caregivers
•To be less likely to use formal supports
LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT FAMILY CAREGIVERS
• Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
• provides job protection to workers requiring short-term leaves from their jobs for the care of a dependent parent or seriously ill newborn or adopted child
• National Family Caregiver Support Program of 2000
• requires state and area agencies on aging to provide services to support family caregivers
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS
AND CAREGIVERS
• Case Management
• coordination and monitoring of services
to meet older adults’ assessed service
needs
• Most family caregivers do not use services
or they do so selectively
• Women and ethnic minority caregivers are
the least likely to turn to formal services
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR FAMILY
CAREGIVERS
• Support Groups for Caregivers
• Psychoeducational Groups
• Respite Care
• Electronic Supports
ELDER MISTREATMENT
Elder Mistreatment
◦ Harmful or hurtful conduct that is willfully inflicted upon an older person
Types of Elder Mistreatment
◦ Physical
◦ Emotional
◦ Sexual
◦ Material or Financial
◦ Medical
◦ Neglect
◦ Violation of rights
◦ Abandonment
PLACEMENT IN LONG-TERM CARE
FACILITIES
• Families often turn to institutionalization after exhausting their own resources
• Decision may be precipitated by a caregiver’s illness, death, or severe family strain
• Many people hold negative attitudes toward nursing homes
• Placement in nursing homes may be seen as a natural transition for the oldest-old
UNDERPAID FAMILY CAREGIVERS:
DIRECT CARE WORKERS
• Direct Care Workers
• nurses' aides, personal assistants, and home
care workers who provide hands-on care in
both private home and institutional settings
• The typical paraprofessional or aide is an
immigrant, single mother, with minimal education
and living in poverty.