Collective Care: Multiple Caregivers and Multiple Care Recipients in Mexican American Families

Abstract

Purpose Specific stressors associated with caregiving in Mexican-American (MA) families are not well documented, yet caregiving issues are paramount because informal care for parents is central to their culture. Although MA families who band together to provide care for one member are not unique, the literature does not describe the phenomenon of collective caregiving, which may be widespread but unrecognized. Such families are both understudied and poorly served by contemporary health systems because their characteristics are unknown. Design Descriptive, multi-site, longitudinal mixed-methods study of MA caregiving families. Findings We identified three types of collective caregivers: those providing care for multiple family members simultaneously; those providing care successively to several family members, and/or those finding themselves obliged to accept care during their caregiving of others. Discussion and Conclusions Collective caregiving of MA elders warrants further investigation. Implications for Practice Exploration of collective caregiving may provide a foundation for tailored family interventions.

Positive and Negative Impacts of Caring among Adolescents Caring for Grandparents. Results from an Online Survey in Six European Countries and Implications for Future Research, Policy and Practice

“…Nevertheless, this analysis did not show any statistical significance across countries. This result suggests that the perception of positive and negative outcomes of caregiving could also be driven by cultural patterns [60], representations of and meanings given to illness and long-term health conditions [61], intergenerational family ties cohesion [23,24,29,36], perceived social support [62], self-recognition of the role of carer, and trust in social and health services [58]. The dearth of questions monitoring the above variables can be considered a limitation of the study.…”

“These classes have been my happy place”: Feasibility study of a self-care program in Native Hawaiian custodial grandparents

“…The average grandparent was raising over three grandchildren. This not only suggests that they are at risk for caregiver burden by having multiple care recipients, as has been found with caregivers for older adults in collective cultures (Evans, Coon, Belyea, & Ume, 2016). These relatively large family sizes speak to the value that the Native Hawaiian culture places on family, preferring to raise their own blood rather than send them to foster care (Mokuau et al, 2017).…”

The Socialization of Unpaid Family Caregivers: A Scoping Review

“…Future research could examine how some family members justify lower levels of or lack of engagement as well as the processes involved in disengagement, when caregivers pull back or reduce their caregiving responsibilities. Empirical studies with a longitudinal design would also facilitate analysis of the socialization process across time and over the life course (Evans et al, 2017), bearing in mind the type and amount of care provided (assistance with activities of daily living, dementia care) and care recipients’ needs.…”