Caregivers’ expectations and care receivers’ competence: Lawton's ecological model of adaptation and aging revisited

Abstract

Drawing upon Lawton's ecological model of adaptation and old age, this study analyses the implications of the degree of adjustment (congruence) between the self-assessed functional capacity of 33 community-dwelling elderly care receivers and their functional capacity as assessed by their respective family caregivers ( N = 33), for the adaptation of the elderly and for their caregivers’ feelings of burden, defined as their perception of how the caregiving activity is affecting their physical, psychological and social well-being. Three groups were set up on the basis of the level of congruence between caregivers’ and care receivers’ reports: high capacity attribution, coincidental capacity attribution, and low capacity attribution groups. No group differences were found in the care receivers’ level of functional independence as perceived by their caregivers and as assessed by the Katz Index and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. However, the results showed differences between the three groups in relation to both the care receivers’ adaptation when viewed in terms of their psychological well-being and self-efficacy. Differences between the caregivers’ perceived sense of burden and their perception of their relatives’ independence were also found. As proposed by the Lawton model, the results support the psychological benefits, both for the caregiver and the care receiver, of an appropriate balance between the socio-environmental demands (caregivers’ expectations regarding care receivers’ competence) and the capacity of the individual.