Female Family Caregivers Research Articles

Preventive health practices: comparison of family caregivers 50 and older.

The purpose of this study was to describe adherence to recommended preventive health practices among middle-aged and older male and female family caregivers of individuals receiving home health services. Perceptions of the burden and benefit of caregiving, wellness orientation, social participation, and community resource use by the caregiving dyad (caregiver and carereceiver) were also explored using the t test and the chi2 test to detect gender differences. A sample of 319 participants 50 and older was recruited from a home health agency in southwestern Pennsylvania to participate in a telephone survey. Results revealed that caregivers had performed 86% of age- and gender-appropriate preventive health practices, but they currently adhered to guidelines for 63% of such behaviors, regardless of gender. Men experienced less burden than women, and were more likely to acknowledge that caregiving made them feel useful and appreciated and gave more meaning to their lives. The study suggests that family caregivers may be as vigilant in their preventive health behavior as the general population, despite their responsibilities. Nurses in contact with middle-aged and older family caregivers are well positioned to encourage health promotion and disease prevention behaviors in this accessible population.

Emancipación y participación ciudadana de mujeres de una zona urbana con necesidades de transformación social

We describe an emancipating process through which oppressed women from a poor neighborhood af Sevilla (Spain) developed a critical awareness and assertion to demand their self-determination, as well as decision-making skills and resource distribution. Following the Kieffer (1984) framework, the Area de Igualdad of The City of Seville carried out a Participatory Action Research process whose most outstanding results were: a) many women acquired critical awareness and participatory competence, b) formed community organizations of women oriented to promote equality among women and men in social change processes, and c) carried outeffective changes in the neighborhood (e.g. a community center, implementation of employment promotion programs and respite programs for female family caregivers. In addition, they formed community coalitions with other women associations to carry out awareness campaigns against gender violence.

Caregiving In Transnational Context

Migration often requires the renegotiation of familial and gender roles as immigrants encounter potentially competing values and demands. Employing ethnographic methods and including in-depth interviewing and participant observation, the authors explore the experiences of 29 South Asian and Chinese Canadian female family caregivers. Caregiving was central to their role as women and members of their ethnocultural community. The women were often engaged in paid labor that compressed the time available to fulfill their duties as caregivers. Women’s role in the transmission of cultural values that serve to shore up the boundaries of their ethnic community did not allow for significant renegotiation of their caregiving responsibilities despite disrupted family networks and increased demands. These caregiving arrangements are more costly to women in Canada than in their countries of origin.

Sleep EEG patterns and fatigue of middle-aged and older female family caregivers providing routine nighttime care for elderly persons at home.

The sleep EEGs and fatigue of 9 female family caregivers (age M=65 yr.) and 9 female noncaregivers (age M=67 yr.) were measured during two successive nights at their houses. Perceived quality of sleep was measured by the Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. Fatigue was measured by a self-rated questionnaire, the Perceived Symptoms of Fatigue, and by critical flicker fusion (CFF) frequency. The caregivers had a significantly higher percentage of Stage 1 and a lower percentage of Stage 2 during the 2nd cycle and a higher percentage of Stages 3+4 during the 3rd cycle than those of the noncaregivers. Caregivers had significantly higher percentages of EEG waves of 7-9 Hz in the 1st cycle and 6-9 Hz in the 2nd cycle and significantly lower percentages of 2-3 Hz in the 1st cycle than those of the noncaregivers. The caregivers reported a lower quality of sleep and higher perceived fatigue symptoms and also lower CFF frequency (increased physiological fatigue) than noncaregivers. The caregivers' sleep EEGs were associated with their higher sleep needs and fatigue.

Needs, concerns, strategies, and advice of stroke caregivers the first 6 months after discharge.

During the first few months after a stroke, family caregivers must quickly learn how to care for the stroke survivor in the home setting. Although there are some studies that addressed the needs and concerns of stroke caregivers during the early poststroke period, there are very few caregiver studies that reported strategies used by caregivers to deal with their needs and concerns, and studies are lacking that reported the advice that caregivers would offer to others. The purpose of this study was to determine the self-reported needs, concerns, strategies, and advice of family caregivers of stroke survivors during the first 6 months after hospital discharge. Using openended questions, we individually interviewed 14 female family caregivers of stroke survivors (8 African American, 6 white) to identify their needs and concerns, strategies they used to deal with stroke, and advice they would offer to other stroke caregivers. Findings revealed five major categories of caregiver needs and concerns: information, emotions and behaviors, physical care, instrumental care, and personal responses to caregiving. Based on the findings, an initial needs and concerns checklist was developed, along with a list of caregiver strategies and advice. Upon further testing, the needs and concerns checklist, as well as the list of strategies and advice, may help to identify relevant areas for caregiver intervention.

The effects of nursing home placement on family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

This study sought to determine the effects of nursing home placement (NHP) for patients with Alzheimer's disease, compared to maintaining community placement, on changes in family caregiver health and well-being over time. We utilized a 2-year, longitudinal study with one baseline and four follow-up assessments for patients' spouses, adult offspring, and in-laws (married to offspring). Families were recruited from eight clinical outpatient centers, supported by the State of California, and followed in the community over time. A multidisciplinary clinical evaluation was undertaken by the centers, and follow-up assessments included questionnaire and interview data. Family caregiver health and well-being did not improve over time following NHP, and there were no significant differences in health and well-being between family caregivers who placed their ill elder in a nursing home and those who kept the elder at home or in the community. However, female family caregivers and spouses displayed greater declines in health and well-being over time, compared to other family caregivers, regardless of whether or not NHP occurred. Families considering NHP need to be advised of what may and may not change following NHP. In particular, spouses and female family caregivers may not experience those changes in life satisfaction and well-being that are hoped for. Variation in the effects of NHP may be more related to pre-NHP family processes and relationships than to the severity of the patient's disability, caregiver strain, patient and caregiver demographics, and use of community-based professional services.

Gender and elder care: social change and the role of the caregiver in Japan

The family has been the locus of caregiving in Japan.Wives and daughters-in-law have had the day-to-day responsibility for frail, elderly relatives. However, social changes are creating afternatives for elder care. Moreover, broad socioeconomic and demographic trends have led to increasing numbers of men taking on what is generally considered 'women's work' Men now constitute 15% of caregivers to the elderly in Japan. In this paper, we examine some of the ways in which men and women experience caregiving differently based on past gender socialization and on gendered societal expectations. We find that, although gender matters in the experiences caregivers bring to their role, men as well as women are influenced, and their caregiving judged, by shared cultural notions of good caregiving. Individual and cohort variations in the type of tasks the caregivers perform, their relations with other family members, and their reliance on formal services also transcend gender differences. We conclude by contemplating the changes that are in store for family caregiving in an era of increased government programs designed to relieve the burden on both male and female family caregivers and to make medical and social care a right of all older people who need it.

在宅高齢者の夜間介護を行う中高年女性家族介護者の睡眠

在宅高齢者の夜間介護を行う中高年女性家族介護者の睡眠

The family: long-term care research and policy formulation.

In industrialized democracies, contractionist social welfare policies have transformed healthcare systems. This has led to reallocations of long-term care work that have perpetuated gender inequities. The appropriated work of female family care-givers substitutes for paid nursing work, and the household is the primary site for long-term care delivery. In this article, central premises of critical social theory are used to analyse current long-term care policy and to explicate how research facilitated the development of mixed economies of care. Problematic consequences of home caregiving are revealed through a depiction of contemporary Canadian families, a critique of the related empirical research literature, and a discussion of the assumptions that underlie long-term care policies. The article concludes with suggestions which nurse researchers could use to contribute to the reformulation of policies to render them just and equitable.

Working conditions in home care: a survey of Washington state's home care workers.

Home care services make it possible for millions of older Americans to continue living in the community. Such services may enhance the recipients' quality of life while providing essential respite to family caregivers. But while there has been increasing recognition of the burden borne by the predominantly female family caregivers, there has been less attention to the plight of the home care workforce. With the growth of the home care industry, the burden of care has to some extent shifted from one category of female caregivers to another. This paper, based on a survey of 16 agencies and 1,900 workers, examines the employment conditions of home care workers in Washington state. The study reveals a pattern of harsh working conditions, low wages, and few benefits. The findings raise questions about the ethics and efficacy of government policies that are based on the exploitation of home care workers.

Factors Related to the Well-Being and Life Activities of Family Caregivers

This article examines the heterogeneity of the caregiving experience for female family caregivers, using a national probability sample. Caregiving was found to have negative associations for caregivers in a number of domains, with women who cared for their husbands reporting the most negative outcomes. Both a longer duration of caregiving and coresidence put the caregiver at risk for more negative outcomes. The implications of these findings for future research and service delivery are examined.