Almost forty percent of American adults age sixty-five and over spend some time in a nursing home, and residents in nursing homes will be increasingly diverse racially and ethnically because of changing demographics. The decision to place a family member in a nursing home is often extremely difficult, especially when the family belongs to a group with a strong tradition of filial responsibility. Despite these realities, little has been written about the stresses families of diverse cultural backgrounds experience in making this challenging decision.
This book describes the experiences of seventy-five African American and Afro-Caribbean, white Jewish, and Latina/o residents and their relatives and friends who have been their caregivers. Integrating original qualitative research with quantitative data and theoretical perspectives and findings from other studies, Patricia Kolb not only presents new perspectives on how caregiving varies across racial and ethnic backgrounds but also dispels numerous stereotypes about nursing home placement among diverse groups.
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. The Need for Nursing Home Placement
- 2. Research About Caregiving by Family and Friends
- 3. Earlier Years: Life Within Families and Communities
- 4. Changing Health, Changing Relationships
- 5. The Placement Process: Decisions and Transitions
- 6. Settling In: Adjusting to the Changes
- 7. Continuing to Care for Relatives in the Nursing Home
- 8. Who Helps Residents and Their Relatives?
- References
- Index