The helping networks of rural elders: Demographic and social psychological influences on service use

Abstract

The aim of this project was to extend theory and research on service use or avoidance among rural older adults by incorporating well being and attitude variables into the Andersen social behavioral model. The data were from a representative sample (N = 471) of community-dwelling Appalachian Virginians having limitations in daily activities and representing different levels of involvement with community agencies. Results indicated that variables indexing more education, less family contact, and a preference for formal services over informal assistance predicted use of formal services. Conclusions address the need to plan and market services differentially for subgroups of rural elders, potential application of the results by community leaders and gerontology practitioners, and suggestions for future research on service use among rural eiders.When the need for assistance arises, the majority of rural elders rely on their informal network of family members, friends, and neighbors. Those whom we call family caregivers (that is, relatives, friends, neighbors, and any others who help older adults without financial compensation) provide assistance with needs such as personal care, transportation, meals, companionship, home maintenance, and money management. Older adults may engage health and community-based services to complement the support provided by informal networks and to provide care when such networks are either unavailable or unable to assist them.In this paper, we provide an overview of the issues and the research literature related to help-seeking among rural older adults. This information serves as a backdrop for our investigation of the need for services, attitudes about informal caregiving and formal services, and patterns of service use among older adults living in rural Virginia. We conclude with implications for practitioners as well as suggestions for future research.

Differences in Professional and Informal Help Seeking Among Older African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Non-Hispanic Whites

“…This research has suggested that even across different contexts and methodological approaches (e.g., community samples, population surveys), informal support—whether alone or in combination with professional services—consistently played a more central role in the care of older adults than professional services (e.g., Blieszner, Roberto, & Singh, 2001; Cohen, Miller, & Weinrobe, 2001; Davey et al, 2005; Penning, 2002). Even when the older adult had extensive care needs, informal supports were most often the main source of help, whereas professional service providers supplemented care as needed (Cohen et al, 2001; Davey et al, 2005; Nordberg et al, 2005; Penning, 2002).…”

Likelihood of African American Primary Caregivers and Care Recipients Receiving Assistance From Secondary Caregivers

“…We relied on this approach to conceptualize possible rural–urban differences in reliance on secondary caregivers and care recipient and primary caregiver characteristics that may be associated with reliance on secondary caregivers in different environmental contexts. The ecological conceptual lens directs attention to differences in the environmental attributes across urban and rural settings such as the dispersion of populations, level of in and out migration among kin (Glasgow, 2000; Robert, 2002), and the availability of older adults’ informal and formal resources (Bliesner, Roberto, & Singh, 2001–2002; McAuley et al, 2009; Wagner & Niles-Yokum, 2006). The schematic model in Figure 1 illustrates how a critical human ecology approach undergirded our focus on whether rural–urban differences exist in characteristics of older African Americans and their primary caregivers (Arrow b ), inclusion of secondary caregivers in collective informal caregiving systems (Arrow c ), or relationships between individual characteristics and the presence of secondary caregivers (Arrow d ).…”

Hierarchical Variance Analysis: A Quantitative Approach for Relevant Factor Exploration and Confirmation of Perceived Tourism Impacts

“…Socio-demographic composition is expressed by variables such as gender, age, marital status, the condition of being native, foreign participants' years of residence in the city, parental status, education level, participation in local associations and neighborhood groups, and the type of work in relation to tourism [7]. Analyzing socio-demographic variables supports research that recognizes existing conditions, needs, and expectations of a given population [38][39][40]. Taking into account the impacts of tourism, a combination of mathematics procedures is definitely worth additional empirical research.…”