Family things: Attending the household disbandment of older adults

When adults move to smaller quarters in later life, family members become involved in the management and disposal of possessions-some cherished, some mundane. Interviews were conducted with 14 family members who had participated in a household disbandment by elders. This qualitative analysis describes the various tasks that were undertaken by family members; how family members asserted themselves in the process; how they were an outlet for possessions; the way that some possessions are shared; and implications for family's story about itself. Household disbandment is a field for all sorts of family practices that can be summarized along three continua that characterize (1) the receiving of goods, (2) the location of agency between elder and family members, and (3) family's self-understanding.     

The prevalence of later life family concerns in the marriage and family therapy journal literature (1976-1985): a content analysis*

This study assessed the frequency with which the marital and family therapy journal literature focused on problems associated with aging in a family context. Content analysis was used to assess the prevalence of later life family concerns in two leading journals, Family Process and the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, during a 10-year period (1976-1985). Results indicate that neither journal covered later life family issues to any appreciable degree. It is concluded that elders in marital and family relationships constitute a new frontier for the extension and elaboration of family therapy.     

Convoys of care: Theorizing intersections of formal and informal care

Although most care to frail elders is provided informally, much of this care is paired with formal care services. Yet, common approaches to conceptualizing the formal–informal intersection often are static, do not consider self-care, and typically do not account for multi-level influences. In response, we introduce the “convoy of care” model as an alternative way to conceptualize the intersection and to theorize connections between care convoy properties and caregiver and recipient outcomes. The model draws on Kahn and Antonucci's (1980) convoy model of social relations, expanding it to include both formal and informal care providers and also incorporates theoretical and conceptual threads from life course, feminist gerontology, social ecology, and symbolic interactionist perspectives. This article synthesizes theoretical and empirical knowledge and demonstrates the convoy of care model in an increasingly popular long-term care setting, assisted living. We conceptualize care convoys as dynamic, evolving, person- and family-specific, and influenced by a host of multi-level factors. Care convoys have implications for older adults' quality of care and ability to age in place, for job satisfaction and retention among formal caregivers, and for informal caregiver burden. The model moves beyond existing conceptual work to provide a comprehensive, multi-level, multi-factor framework that can be used to inform future research, including research in other care settings, and to spark further theoretical development.     

A day to be lived. Elderly peoples' possessions for everyday life in assisted living

This study is a qualitative interview study about the household possessions that elderly women and men brought with them when moving into assisted living. The move implied a substantial reduction of their possessions since, in all cases, they had left a larger dwelling than the one they moved to. The study gives a glimpse into the everyday life of the oldest old in assisted living. The things the elderly participants brought were of three types; cherished objects, representations of who they were, and mundane objects. The most important objects indicated by the elderly often belonged to the third type, and were preferred for the significance they had for the everyday life of the individual. These objects revealed a circumscribed but dignified life in their private bed-sitting room, often in solitude, where the elderly individuals pursued various interests and small-scale activities. However, this life was organized and preferred by the individuals themselves, in accordance with the principles of resident autonomy and individual choice that are promoted in assisted living. The author suggests that these self-engaged pursuits can contribute to bridging the gap between disengagement and activity theories. The study results also contribute to making visible the private life of the oldest old in assisted living.     

Narrative foreclosure in later life: Preliminary considerations for a new sensitizing concept

The objective of the paper is to explore narrative foreclosure as a sensitizing concept for studying the ways in which narrative identity development falters in later life. Two main characters in famous movies are contrasted to provide a better understanding of narrative foreclosure. The concept is further clarified by discussing similarities and differences with other theories about lifespan identity development. Last, the concept is related to theories in social gerontology to provide a better understanding of narrative foreclosure in later life.It is concluded that narrative foreclosure can be defined as the conviction that no new interpretations of one's past nor new commitments and experiences in one's future are possible that can substantially change one's life-story. In terms of the metaphor of a book, one is not only convinced about its ending and does not add new chapters anymore, but also refrains from enjoying, rewriting, and editing earlier chapters. Several interpersonal–social and structural–ideological factors are identified that promote narrative foreclosure in later life.Finally it is discussed that the narrative study of later life and of narrative foreclosure in particular, should be conducted in an interdisciplinary framework. Narrative foreclosure only exists within a certain constellation of personal, social, and societal characteristics, drawn together in a mutually dependent system.     

Immigration and Generational Solidarity: Elderly Soviet Immigrants and Their Adult Children in Israel

Immigration in later life is an extremely stressful life event. When multigenerational families resettle together, elders turn to their adult children for support, while both generations face challenges of integration. Drawing on the framework of intergenerational solidarity-conflict-ambivalence, this qualitative study explores the relationships between elderly, ex-Soviet immigrants and their adult children in Israel. The findings illuminate the declining personal resources and family status of the elders, as well as their main coping strategies. Both generations try to discover a new balance among the old and new cultural expectations, reciprocity, and use of available, formal, geriatric services.     

Cultural dissonance among generations: a solution-focused approach with East Asian elders and their families

In traditional East Asian cultures, high value is assigned to family harmony and filial piety coupled with the expectation that elders will be honored and obeyed. A lifetime of such expectations shapes how elders perceive their role and status in the family. Problems can arise when younger, less traditional, generations do not share these expectations. This article describes a solution-focused approach that facilitates the family in creating a beneficial harmony in situations of cultural dissonance. Family members are empowered to draw on personal strengths in which multiple worldviews and values of individual members are recognized, incorporated, and negotiated.     

Families and Inheritance Decisions: Examining Non-Titled Property Transfers

This study examines the transfer of personal possessions, which is a dimension of inheritance decision making from which few families are exempt but which largely has been ignored by researchers and educators. The qualitative analysis of a purposeful sample of individual family members who had experienced a transfer of non-titled personal possessions suggested the influence of six key themes. These included: (a) a sensitivity of the issue, (b) lack of goal discussion, (c) different perceptions of fairness, (d) different meanings of objects, (e) lack of awareness of distribution options and consequences, and (f) potential for conflict. The themes identified reinforced that inheritance is not simply an economic or legal issue but one with complex emotional and family relationship dimensions. The findings provide the foundation for further research agendas and for developing educational resources to help family members communicate about and make more informed decisions regarding the transfer of non-titled property.     

Support Network Connectedness in the Lives of Community-Dwelling Rural Elders and Their Families

Rural elders face challenges when accessing assistance from family, neighbors, and paid helpers. This support is essential to allow them to remain community dwelling as they develop physical challenges that limit their ability to care for themselves. This qualitative study followed a group of 16 rural elders with physical limitations for 1 year. In-depth interviews were conducted with them and eight members of their support networks, including five family members, to explore how rural older adults create and maintain support networks that allow them to remain community dwelling despite physical challenges that limit their self-care. The research question is, “How do members of the support network connect with each other to maximize the effectiveness of the network?” Family members coordinated assistance to maximize the abilities and availability of various network members. In addition, family members worked together with other family members, neighbors, and paid helpers to assist the elder. These strategies enhanced the ability of the network to assist the rural elder and also lessened the burden of care by dispersing it among network members.     

The neglected elder: a family systems approach.

Abuse and neglect of older adults is largely an invisible problem. Those who are vulnerable are often hidden from the public eye. Troubled families characteristically maintain an isolated existence and, therefore, the mistreatment of elders can occur without the knowledge of neighbors or interested community members. Factors that operate to keep the problem hidden include society's emphasis on family privacy, the victim's unwillingness or inability to report the problem, stereotypes about the aged, and denial (Quinn, 1986). Although the problem of abuse and neglect of elders is not as prevalent as child maltreatment, it is a significant societal problem in need of increased public awareness. This article will focus on the treatment of elder neglect within the context of the family.     

Family Structure and Quality of Life of Elders in Rural China: The Role of the New Rural Social Pension

Using data from a survey in Ankang district of Shaanxi province of China in 2011, this article examines the protective effect of the New Rural Social Pension (NRSP) on quality of life of rural elders, as well the moderating effect on association between family structure and quality of life. An instrumental variable approach is used. NRSP is shown to significantly improve the quality of life of rural elders, and a robustness check shows that this effect is consistent across different sets of subgroups. Compared with the elders who have at least one son, the quality of life of those who are childless or have only one child is significantly lower. The NRSP is more likely to significantly improve the quality of life of one-child elders. In addition, the associations between the NRSP and the different facets of quality of life of the elders are significant except for the facet of sensory abilities.     

“Do They Think I Am a Pack Rat?”

This case study presents details of the life of one older man who lived in seclusion and squalor, surrounded by hoarded possessions. This man was one participant of a focused ethnography of eight older adults who received home care. All participants in the original ethnography were identified by their community care coordinators as exhibiting hoarding behaviors. The case study presented here provides rich narrative and photographic detail in order to add strength to what has already been presented in previous research articles about compulsive acquisition. The narratives reveal examples of debilitating dysfunction, distress associated with decision making, broad acquisition of free things, compulsive buying, and ritualistic discarding. Quotes included in the case study stem from the original ethnography.     

Willingness and availability: Explaining new attitudes toward institutional elder care among Chinese elderly parents and their adult children

This paper studies the attitudes of Chinese elderly parents and their family members toward institutional elder care. Based on a sample survey of 265 elderly residents in 67 elder home institutions and 114 family members, this study finds that elders and family members generally had high evaluations of institutions' quality in terms of facility, medical, and direct care conditions. Elders who reported improved health and emotional well-being after entering institutions gave higher ratings to those institutions' quality. Among adult children, those who had more siblings tended to rate institutions higher than those who had fewer siblings. Factors that influenced elders' willingness to stay in an institution included marital status and financial ability. Widowed elders were more willing to stay in institutions compared with married counterparts. Elders who rated service charge very high preferred to stay at home due to the high cost of institutional care. In the family relatives' sample, gender was found to be related to willingness to place elderly parents in an institution; female children were less willing to place elderly parents in the institution.     

Ambivalence in Later‐Life Family Networks: Beyond Intergenerational Dyads

In later life, changing conditions related to health, partnership, and economic status may trigger not only support but also conflict and ambivalence, with the consequent renegotiation of family ties. The aim of this study is to investigate both conflict and emotional support in the family networks of older adults, taking the research beyond the level of intergenerational dyads. We used a subsample of 563 elders (aged 65 years and older) from the Swiss Vivre/Leben/Vivere survey. Multiple correspondence analysis and in‐depth case studies were used to identify the key social conditions that relate to the prevalence of conflicted and supportive dyads in family networks. Findings showed that the balance of conflict and emotional support in older adults' family networks varied according to the composition of their family network as well as their age, health, income, and gender.     

Elder Abuse in Costa Rica

ABSTRACT

This paper describes how the problem of domestic elder abuse in Costa Rica is being perceived and acted upon by direct service providers and other professionals in the field of aging. Costa Rica is a small Central American democracy in which the family is the central institution and the sense of filial obligation is strong. In this cultural context elder abuse often takes the form of overprotection by family members who deprive elders of their autonomy. Although they suffer from this loss, elders frequently do not define it as abuse, making it difficult for professionals to intervene. A more serious concern was abandonment of elders by families (with or without intent to harm) since there are few facilities or resources to accommodate such elders. Overall we found a mixture, sometimes in the same person, of resignation in the face of a phenomenon that may come inevitably with modernization and committed activism. We illustrate the latter by describing the efforts of two Costa Rican organizations to prevent elder abuse.     

Problematic Integration and Family Communication about Decisions at the End of Life

Making a decision on behalf of a family member at the end of life (EOL) is a highly uncertain and anxiety-ridden experience. To examine how families navigate this complex, emotionally stressful situation, Problematic Integration theory was applied as a lens for understanding EOL decision experiences managed in the context of the family. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with 22 family members who participated in family conversations about an end-of-life decision, this study demonstrated that family members encounter multiple sources of uncertainty and divergence, including questions regarding whether or not a family member’s life is ending, what the decision should be, and who should make or participate in the decision. Family members’ stories also identified ways in which medical professionals and communication about the wishes of the patient helped family members manage problematic integration. Finally, findings revealed experiences where problematic orientations were not transformed after family members made an EOL decision.     

The health needs of elders within an intentional community

A small-scale survey was carried out on the health needs of those members of the Findhorn Bay Community, in northeast Scotland, who were over the age of 60. The survey asked questions about their health, quality of life, support received and perceived needs in these areas. The responses of the elders are summarised and discussed. Most of the elders had health conditions which affected their quality of life, yet almost all were satisfied with the support they received and over half with their quality of life. Implications for the links between community, family, work and perceived health were identified. Une recherche a ete faite sur les besoins en sante des personnes ages de plus de 60 ans qui vivent dans la communaute de Findhorn Bay dans le nord est d'Ecosse. Il y avait un questionnaire qui leur demandait des informations sur leur sante, et qualite de vie; il leur etait aussi demande si ils se sentaient suffisamment soutenus et comment ils percevaient les differents besoins de leur vie. Les responses de les personnes sont brievement evoquees et discutees. Les implications concernant les rapports entre communaute, famille, travail et sante furent identifiees. La plupart d'entre eux avait des problemes de sante qui affectaient leur qualite de vie, cependant la majorite etait satisfaite du soutien recu, et plus de la moitie avec leur qualite de vie.     

Family Discussion Groups for Patients with Chronic Pain: A Pilot Study

This pilot study investigated the benefits of discussion groups for patients with chronic pain and their family members. Nineteen patients with chronic pain and 41 relatives participated in four consecutive groups. Most patients and family members found their participation clearly helpful for themselves and for the family. The group helped them to improve communication, support and mutual relationships, and to better cope with the pain. Reported beneficial factors were experiencing communality, having a place to discuss things with each other, gaining insights, and learning from fellow‐sufferers and their own family. Post treatment, patients also felt less distressed by the pain, less depressed, less insufficient and showed an increase in life‐control and social activities. Moreover, some aspects of the family climate improved, but only in the perception of the family members. The present study points to the value of a multifamily format in chronic pain therapy and suggests the appropriateness of further controlled investigation.