‘Without my faith I would break into pieces.’ Supporting elder family members: Implications for social work policy and practice

Abstract

This collaborative project records the voices of family/whanau members most closely involved with the responsibility for support of elder parents or family members. Members of the research team are from two different cultural backgrounds and have worked within and across both cultural paradigms investigating Pakeha/European and Pasifika family/fanau structures. The small-scale study sought to identify patterns of similarity and difference in approaches to family decision-making, how families access appropriate social services, and what changes occur in family dynamics as they respond to elder family members’ needs. This research has required engagement with members of diverse communities about an often invisible aspect of family life in Aotearoa New Zealand. The support of elders by adult children is expected to become more prevalent across communities with the aging of the population and the widening cultural diversity of families. Key themes emerging from the participants’ reported experiences have the potential to inform social service practice and social policy and these are highlighted.