Objectives Current theoretical constructs on the utilization of formal support for Latino caregivers focus on familism and exclude the cultural values represented in the service system. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the experience of care for Latino family caregivers to persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). We also examine the cultural congruence between provider perspectives with the expectations of Latino ADRD caregivers. Method We conducted extended interviews with 24 Latino ADRD caregivers and 10 service providers. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results Our study provides a deeper understanding of Latino caregiving experiences and highlights some of the structural and systematic issues in current systems of caregiver support. While Latino families have very specific notions of care, by upholding notions of familism, there is a tendency to not look deeper into how they may be better supported in caregiving and fall into the “culture trap.” The assumption that family should be the natural support network for older adults may lead to health and social systems of care to ignore the specific needs of the Latino population. Discussion Services are being provided under a model that was established four decades ago and may not reflect current realities. The concept of “an ethics of care” allows us to move beyond familism and explain that underutilization of services may also be due in part to the cultural incongruence between what service providers offer and the perceived needs of Latino caregivers.

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The number of Latinos living with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to grow. Latinos currently make one-fifth of U.S. family caregivers. In this paper, we explore the cultural scripts and gendered practice of care in Latino families in relation to the underutilization of services to persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. We conducted interviews with 24 Latino caregivers in Miami-Dade, Florida representing six Latin American countries of origin. Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. We critically examined the concept of familism in order to better understand in-depth experiences of diverse Latino caregivers and concluded that an ethics of care model better elucidates the complexities of the care experience. Our analysis illustrates the ambivalence, contradictions, and changes in the beliefs and practice of care. These findings can help advance understanding among researchers and providers to develop a formal support system that is responsive to Latino caregiver needs.

en materia de distribución de la responsabilidad social del cuidado de personas dependientes entre el Estado, el mercado, la comunidad y la familia y qué régimen de bienestar social se encuentra asociado a dicha distribución. Los resultados aquí presentados forman parte de una investigación en curso, cuya metodología aplicada ha consistido en análisis bibliográfico, análisis de la normativa y la política social y aná-lisis estadístico de fuentes secundarias.palabras clave: crisis del cuidado, feminización de las migraciones, personas dependientes, organización social del cuidado. abstractIn recent years, Spain and Chile have become emblematic cases of countries that have gone through a major crisis in care, and which have responded by importing mainly female immigrants for this reproductive labour. This paper identifies and compares this crisis of care is managed in Spain and Chile, examining how social policy has responded in terms of spreading the responsibility for dependent care between the State, the market, the community and the family, and which social welfare regimen is linked to this spread. The results form part of an ongoing investigation, using an applied methodology involving bibliographic analysis, normative and social policy analysis, and statistical analysis of secondary sources.

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