Stories and experiences of long-distance care, the case: Israel and Mexico

Lucía Pérez Sánchez

doi:10.17583/rasp.8436

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the experiences of long-distance care amongst Spanish-speaking immigrant women in Israel and women living in Mexico, and to compare their experiences of care, where geographical distance is the constant variable. The research was carried out through an exploratory, transversal and non-experimental qualitative study, with non-statistical sampling, for continuous inclusion for convenience. The instrument used was an open questionnaire, based on Patton's in-depth interview structure. The main findings show the need to recognize and value the role of the long-distance caregiver in research and support approaches because of the potential impact of migration and caregivers on acculturation, stress experienced by the long-distance caregiver, the support they both may receive in the country of origin and in the country where they live, as well as the family's perception of them in terms of what caregiving means, all through critical analysis perspectives from gender, interculturality and intersectionality. Finally, the stories of the six participating women show important contributions in the care they provide to their sick family member, the primary caregiver and the rest of the family. Also, the experience of long-distance care was not determined by the length of the distance; the feelings and emotions that these women experience are the same, international migration or migration within the country were not determined.

Highlights

Long distance caregiving (LDC) is defined as the support provided by a relative to the primary caregiver of the older adult by family members who are not physically close to each other (Cagle, 2012)
The responses of the participants evidence the findings found in 2010, when a study was conducted to review and evaluate the empirical research carried out between 2000 and 2010, regarding long distance care, which concluded that long distance caregivers are very involved in the care of their family members, regardless of distance, and surprisingly, are often the only or main caregivers (Bledsoe, Moore, & Collins, 2010)
Literature frequently focuses on the migration experience from an individual and psychological perspective of the subject leaving his or her country, little attention is paid to the family members left behind and the impact that migration has on family ties and cultural differences, as well as the roles and expectations of the members in terms of who and how care is provided (Baldassar, 2007)

Summary

Introduction

La experiencia del cuidado a distancia no fue determinada por la longitud de la distancia; los sentimientos y emociones que estas mujeres experimentan son los mismos, no se determinó la migración internacional o la migración dentro del país. Despite the negative consequences of caregiving, recent studies have found that caring for elderly people can be borne by organizing family work and equitably. These findings support the growing evidence that, despite the stress of caring for an elderly person with dementia, family members have the capacity to cope, adapt and grow through their experiences (Cabote, Bramble, & Mc Cann, 2015). RASP – Research on Ageing and Social Policy 10(1) 24 receiving care, was suggested as a significant step to attain a thorough picture of the topic (Bledsoe, Moore, & Collins, 2010)

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Conclusion