Care Of Dependent Adults Research Articles

Caring fathers in Europe: Toward universal caregiver families?

AbstractIncreasingly, men are challenging the assumption that care is a feminine task and are involving themselves in childcare and the care of dependent adults. However, this does not necessarily have consequences for their work, as they very rarely make costly adaptations in their working lives. In this study, we propose a definition of a man in care (MIC) as a working father who, in order to meet care needs, has adapted his working life in a way that potentially entails a financial penalty. We analyze the prevalence of men in care among men living with children below the age of 15 across the EU‐27 plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK using recent representative data (the European Labour Survey and its 2018 ad hoc module on work‐life balance). We find that although the number of men engaging in costly work adaptations is still very low when compared to their female counterparts, the characteristics of these men can be clearly outlined: they have a non‐manual occupation (managers excluded), they have temporary contracts or are self‐employed, they are partnered to women who hold jobs of 40 or more hours a week and have a high educational attainment, and they work in family‐friendly companies. Also, at the context level, the prevalence of MIC is clearly related to gender equality and values. However, we do not find evidence of any country having reached the universal caregiver model proposed by Nancy Fraser, including those with more advanced gender and welfare regimes.

The Care of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Informal (Family) Caregivers’ Perspectives

The care of adults with intellectual disabilities is marginalized and rarely studied in Poland. In recent years, this issue has gained particular importance, partly due to the increasing life expectancy of people with ID. This paper presents a study of the function of informal caregivers for adults with ID, comprising parents who provide regular, constant, physical and emotional support and assistance with everyday activities to their adult children. Due to cultural and institutional conditions, Polish society sets high expectations for families regarding the care of their dependent members. Social policy also mainly promotes informal care, with formal care only being supported to a very limited extent. The state delegates responsibility, including financial responsibility, to families. With the rapid aging of society, this situation poses great challenges. This study was conducted in the Łodź region of Poland; it used a qualitative approach, and a semi-structured interview was performed using the narrative elements technique. The main goal of the research was to understand the situation of caregivers to adults with an intellectual disability by identifying thematic categories in the respondents' statements. The analysis of the qualitative data content made it possible to capture and present the participants' personal perspectives on significant issues connected with their function in the context of providing care to an adult with an intellectual disability. A total of 12 interviews were conducted. The age of the respondents (caregivers) was 51-82 years old, and the individuals they were caring for were between 20 and 49 years old. Based on the materials collected, 13 thematic categories and subcategories were identified, along with illustrative examples. The main categories concerned everyday functioning, health, uncertainty, relationships with others, feelings, time, and the macro level. For each category, subcategories were distinguished and illustrated by the respondents' statements. The categories and subcategories were not completely distinct; sometimes they overlapped or complemented one another. For the majority of the respondents, the care of an adult with an intellectual disability had a negative effect on their well-being. As a consequence, they performed their caregiver's role at the expense of their own lifestyle. Noticeable themes included "addiction" to caregiving, psychophysical fatigue, and the needs and difficulties resulting from this being "ignored" by the commonly understood social environment (including state institutions). Thus, the care of dependent adults with ID should be viewed on a broad human spectrum, that is, in consideration of the unique situation of those who remain under permanent care provided by family members, those who live alone, and those whose loved ones try to combine caregiving with their own private lives. This is becoming all the more important, as the number of seniors with intellectual disabilities will continue to grow in the coming decades.

Los cuidados a la dependencia en un nuevo horizonte constitucional para Chile

Analiza el diseño e implementación de las políticas de cuidado a la dependencia, con una perspectiva desde la experiencia internacional, para el análisis de la situación nacional

Comparación de los resultados de la medición del trabajo reproductivo en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y la Encuesta de Empleo del Tiempo

Objective To compare time spent on unpaid work as measured by the Time Use Survey (TUS) 2002-2003 and the National Health Survey (NHS) 2006. Methods The time spent on childcare, care of dependent adults, and housework was studied. The proportion of caregivers and the average amount of time spent on each activity, as measured by both surveys, was compared by gender, age and household size. Results The estimated time spent on adult and childcare is four to six times higher in the NHS, whereas the TUS shows higher percentages of people devoted to housework and childcare. The results of the NHS and the TUS tend to converge only when they measure the proportion of people caring for dependent adults and the average amount of time spent on housework.