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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Care arrangement choices for older widows
— decision participants' perspectives | | Author(s) | Carol L Jenkins |
| Journal title | Journal of Women & Aging, vol 15, no 2/3, 2003 |
| Pages | pp 127-145 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Widows ; Attitude ; Family care ; Nursing homes ; Social surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | This research examines how a wide range of care arrangement decisions for frail older women are made. Interviews were conducted with 11 older women (10 of whom are widows), nine of their family members and six professional service providers. Maintaining the older woman's independence was identified as a major theme. While all decision participants identified it as an explicit or implicit decision-making goal, their meanings of independence were different. The women's meanings were flexible, changing in response to changes in their physical condition, and need for assistance. Adult children tended to identify their mothers as independent when they did not actually need assistance, or when they received help from other sources. Professional service providers were inclined to define independence narrowly, as avoiding nursing home placement. Minor themes associated with independence include responsibility, reciprocity and the family's importance in maintaining independence. These themes help to clarify the complex dynamics that take place during care arrangement decisions, and explain how care arrangement choices are made. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-040113214 A |
| Classmark | SP: DP: P6:SJ: LHB: 3F: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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