Faith, Work, and Reciprocity: Listening to Mexican Men Caregivers of Elderly Family Members

Loneliness, Spirituality, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Hispanic English-Speaking Cancer Caregivers: A Qualitative Approach

Hispanic caregivers experiencing higher caregiving burden than their non-Hispanic cohorts, due in part to contextual factors, such as barriers to accessing health care, challenging employment environments, low education and income, immigration issues, and minority stress. Spirituality may serve as a coping strategy for Hispanic caregivers that influences health-related quality of life (HRQoL), possibly by modifying loneliness associated with caregiving. We explored these concepts using semi-structured interviews (N = 10 Hispanic caregivers). Participants shared perceptions of loneliness, spirituality, and how these factors related to HRQoL. Five themes emerged: caregiver experience, coping strategies, loneliness, religion and spirituality to gain strength. Findings suggested that spirituality and religion improved HRQoL partially by reducing loneliness. Future programs to improve HRQoL in Hispanic English-speaking cancer caregivers should address spirituality.

The influence of Latino cultural values on the perceived caregiver role of family members with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

OBJECTIVES

We explored how Latino cultural values play a role in perceived caregiving experiences.

DESIGN

We conducted a qualitative study that used individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with middle-aged and older Latinos who were primary caregivers of family members with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The interview guide consisted of questions about participants' perceptions of family caregiving and interrelationships between the caregiver and care recipient. The interviews were recorded, translated, and transcribed verbatim. We performed direct content analysis.

RESULTS

Participants were caregivers, 50-75 years old (n = 16), and the majority were female. We identified four cultural values that were salient to participants' caregiving experiences: (a) familismo, (b) fatalismo (c) marianismo, and (d) machismo.

CONCLUSION

Latino cultural values influenced the role of caregiving and caregiving roles of family members with ADRD. Future research should consider these values as they affect different familial and health dynamics.

Exploring positive experiences of primary and secondary caregivers of older persons in resource-limited urban settings in Accra, Ghana

Family caregivers experience both negative and positive outcomes. However, most studies have mainly focused on the negative outcomes. In addition, few studies have focused on both primary and secondary caregivers. This study explored the positive experiences of primary and secondary caregivers of older persons in resource-limited urban settings in Accra, Ghana. This study used phenomenological design, and thirty-one family caregivers were interviewed in James Town and Ussher Town. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically using NVivo 10. The findings show that the primary and secondary caregivers derived tangible and intangible rewards from providing care to older persons. The tangible rewards included gifts, while the intangible include blessings, skills acquisition, enhanced personal attributes, family cohesion, and health consciousness. Positive caregiving experiences can mitigate caregivers’ burden and burnout. Therefore, policymakers and social workers should design interventions that will enhance the positive experiences of family caregivers. They should also consider the gender and age of caregivers in designing these interventions.

Experience of Rural Family Caregivers for Older Adults in Co-Residential Family Care Arrangements in Central Ethiopia: Motives of Family Caregivers in Reciprocal Relationship

PURPOSE

This study aimed to describe the experience of rural family caregivers' motive to care for older adults in rural Ethiopia.

METHODS

We used a descriptive phenomenological study method. Data from semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled caregivers were inductively coded and developed into themes. Mechanisms were used to increase the trustworthiness of the study.

RESULTS

The main theme that emerged from the data as motives for caregiving for rural older adults are traditional norms of filial responsibility and indebtedness, religious values, quality of a relationship, and older adults' reciprocity materially, in knowledge, work sharing, and emotional companionship.

CONCLUSION

There is no single motive among family caregivers that initiate co-residential caregiving for older adults. Multiple motives of obligation, altruism, religious values, emotional attachment, economic motive, and reciprocity of care have contributed to co-residential family care.

RECOMMENDATION

Strengthening the capacity of family caregivers through training and economic support to care for older adults should be emphasized. Early child-parent relationships and religious values should get attention from family practitioners and policymakers.

Burden and Gender inequalities around Informal Care

OBJECTIVES

This work comes from the interest and need to understand the problems arising from the activity of caring for dependent people, in the world and particularly in the European region. Altogether, it seeks to understand the consequences of informal care on the caregiver adding to the debate a gender perspective. Through a multidisciplinary bibliographic review, the current care crisis becomes clear. The demographic and socio-cultural changes in recent years are causing dependency to increase dramatically, while putting at risk the availability of informal caregivers. Several studies have shown that women are the ones on whom the burden of care mainly falls. Therefore, under the gender perspective, it becomes clear that the consequences of caregiver burden increase gender inequalities worldwide. The study analyzes the current situation and underlines the need to promote alternatives and opportunities so that care is shared and does not fall only on the female gender. Solutions need to be included in public and community health interventions and policies, and to this respect, nurses play an important role in changing the care paradigm.

The "Reckoning Point" as a Marker for Formal Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Mexican American Families

Palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC) in Mexican American (MA) caregiving families remains unexplored. Its onset was uncovered in our mixed methods, multisite, interdisciplinary, qualitative descriptive study of 116 caregivers, most of whom had provided long-term informal home care for chronically ill, disabled older family members. This subanalysis used Life Course Perspective to examine the "point of reckoning" in these families, where an older person is taken in for care, or care escalates until one recognizes oneself as the primary caregiver. Ninety-three of 116 caregivers recognized and spontaneously reported a "reckoning point" that initiated the caregiving trajectory, while eight cited "gradual decline" into caregiving for elders in their homes. This "reckoning point," which marks the assumption of this role, may afford a fertile opportunity for referral to community resources or initiation of formal PEOLC, thereby improving the quality of life for these older individuals and their families.