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Who's the Family in Family Caregiving?*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Norah Keating ,
Karen Kerr ,
Sharon Warren ,
Michael Grace  and
Dana Wertenberger
Norah Keating
Affiliation:
The Caring Project, University of Alberta
Karen Kerr
Affiliation:
The Caring Project, University of Alberta
Sharon Warren
Affiliation:
The Caring Project, University of Alberta
Michael Grace
Affiliation:
The Caring Project, University of Alberta
Dana Wertenberger
Affiliation:
The Caring Project, University of Alberta
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Abstract

Despite a recognition of the importance of families in providing informal care to frail seniors, there is no consensus as to who constitutes the caregiving family. The authors discuss the current ideology about the caregiving family and the state of knowledge about its composition and propose that the caregiving family has actual and potential elements. Based on the assumption that the concept of “who's the family” is socially constructed, the authors argue that it is essential to understand “who's the family” from the perspective of primary caregivers in order to evaluate the nature of family support. This paper challenges the notion that the cargiving family is equivalent to the kin family. It is argued that the status quo in which a simplistic view of family caregiving is used to justify pressure on families to provide more care is not sustainable.

Résumé

En dépit de la reconnaissance du rôle d'information de la famille auprès des personnes âgées fragiles, il n'existe aucune entente sur la composition des familles assurant la prestation de soins. Les auteurs discutent de l'idéologie de l'aide aux aines par la famille et le degré de connaissance sur sa composition. Us proposent que ces familles présentent des caractéristiques actuelles et potentielles. En se fondant sur l'hypothèse que le concept de «la composition de la famille» est le résultat d'une construction sociale, les auteurs démontrent qu'il est essentiel de comprendre «la composition de la famille» selon l'optique des principaux prestateurs de soins afin d'évaluer la nature de l'appui familial. L'ouvrage remet en question la notion que la famille assurant la prestation de soins se compose des proches parents. Les auteurs soutiennent que le statu quo, où une perception simpliste de la famille offrant des soins est utilisée afin d'exercer des pressions sur les familles pour fournir plus de soins, n'a pas d'avenir.

Keywords

Family CaregivingSocial Construction of Family.Aide de la familleconstruction sociale de la famille.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , Été/Summer 1994 , pp. 268 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1994

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