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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Love stories
— understanding the caring journeys of aged Greek-Australian carers | | Author(s) | Debbie Horsfall, Ilse Blignault, Astrid Perry, Penny Antonopoulos |
| Journal title | Health and Social Care in the Community, vol 24, no 2, March 2016 |
| Publisher | Wiley, March 2016 |
| Pages | pp 194-202 |
| Source | wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hsc |
| Keywords | Immigrants ; Ethnic groups ; Greece ; Spouses as carers ; Services ; Longitudinal surveys ; Australia. |
| Annotation | The authors document the findings of a short-term longitudinal study that explored the caring journeys of aged Greek carers providing in-home care for their spouse. Through a deeper understanding of carers' decisions and decision-making and insights from service providers and community leaders, the aim was to inform policy makers, service managers and providers about how to develop and promote culturally appropriate support services, negotiating with carers and care recipients in a timely way. Initially, three focus groups and one follow-up forum were conducted with service providers and Greek community leaders. Then, over a 6-month period, two in-home interviews and two telephone interviews were conducted with 12 older Greek carers. The authors sought to understand factors influencing carers' decision-making regarding service uptake, providing information about services as required. Through thematic analysis, its was found that most carers wanted to remain as independent as possible and to avoid forced separation (through institutionalisation) from the one they loved. These caers placed great value on their caring role which, while a struggle at times, gave them a sense of meaning, purpose and belonging. It was also found that carers had great resourcefulness, strength and competence. They were all in long-term relationships, had negotiated coming to a foreign country and establishing themselves, and were now in the process of negotiating old age and increasing frailty, while at the same time providing care and support to family and friends. The authors' findings suggest that services need to be communicated in ways which support what carers value, not on outdated assumptions about cultural groups, otherwise providers will perpetuate exclusion. The authors propose an outreach in-home service model with an emphasis on ageing well and staying at home. This model of service provision is a model of care which emphasises relationships and community, and seeks to build social and cultural capital. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-160226201 A |
| Classmark | TJ: TK: 76X: P6:SN: I: 3J: 7YA |
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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