Determinants of long-distance eldercare: Evidence from Ghanaian Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

The current study investigated the extent to which the following five factors—filial obligation, support receipt, perceived elder vulnerability, caregiver status, and selected sociodemographic characteristics (of both older adults and immigrants) impact long-distance caregiving by Ghanaian immigrants. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 124 participants for the study. The results of the regression analysis showed that the key factors influencing remittance to older adult relatives in Ghana were filial obligation and immigrant caregiving status. Respondents not only felt that it was their responsibility to provide financial care for their older adult relatives but also that respondents who described themselves as the main elder caregivers provided more financial support. While there is always the possibility that some Ghanaian immigrants shirk their eldercare obligations, there is much evidence to conclude that most provided care to their elderly relatives and that most were influenced by the social and cultural tenets that underlie eldercare in Ghanaian society.