CARING FOR ELDERLY PARENTS

Family Caring For Elderly Parents

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Caregiving for Brain-impaired Versus Non-brain-impaired Older Adults4

Literature Review5

Caregivers within the Informal Support System5

Caregiving by Spouses versus Caregiving by Adult Children6

Changes in Informal Care8

Family Dynamics in Caregiving9

Methods10

Study Design10

Sample Selection10

Data Collection11

Instrument11

Data Analysis12

Limitations of the Study12

Results13

Subject Demographics13

Family Composition13

Primary Caregiver Respones14

Division of Caregiving Duties within the Family14

Conclusion15

References18

Family Caring For Elderly Parents

Introduction

Caring for aging parents can be challenging and difficult at times, but it is also an honor and privilege to do so, as well as a moral responsibility for the family. Present and future generations are faced with the ever-present reality of caring for America's elderly persons, who currently comprise over 12 % of the national population (Warnes, 2003). This figure is expected to double by the year 2030 (Puijalon & Trincaz, 2006). Contrary to the belief that Americans institutionalize the frail elderly, less than 5 % of all persons age 65 and older live in long-term care facilities (McClaran & Keyserlingk, 1993). Older adults' families, frequently adult children, provide the remainder of care, including emotional, physical, and financial support, to their aging parents.

The strain of caring for an elderly parent intensifies when the parent is afflicted with a brain impairment. An estimated 11 to 15 million American adults suffer from adult-onset brain impairments, encompassing a variety of causes such as Parkinson's Disease, traumatic brain injury, and senile dementia. Brain-impaired adults often require 24-hour care and are subject to stigma as a mental disorder, which has a significant impact on family caregivers. These caregivers are more likely to quit work or reduce work hours than are counterpart caregivers to frail elderly parents (Dwyer & Coward, 1993). Furthermore, caregivers to brain-impaired older adults also experience a unique grief due to the diminishing of the parent's mental capacities, memories, or cognitions long before the physical body expires (Albert, & Hoffman, 1994). The primary caregiver can be identified as the person who assumes the greatest amount of responsibility to an elderly parent by meeting the parent's emotional, physical, and financial needs (Bresse & Dutheil, 2004).

Eldest daughters most commonly find themselves in the role as primary caregiver to an aging parent, as cited in numerous studies on care giving. In general, women have been found to more often take on the caregiver role to family members (Youinou & Martin, 2006). Dynamics within the family that impact the primary caregiver are an important concern to the mental well-being of all family members involved.

Albert, & Hoffman (1994) examined the differences in involvement of parent care between siblings of different genders. Both primary caregivers and geographically proximate siblings provided virtually identical appraisals of their mother's health conditions and functional limitations. All children experienced strain from care giving, with the primary caregivers reporting the greatest amount of strain. Socioemotional support from siblings was a major factor in caregiver appraisal of sibling interactions. Caregivers candidly expressed resentment of siblings' failures to be supportive of their efforts. The greatest rewards in sibling interactions, as reported by primary caregivers, were when siblings understood of the ...