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Characteristics of Strong Commitments to Intergenerational Family Care of Older Adults

Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University.

Address correspondence to Kathleen W. Piercy, Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University, 2905 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-2905. E-mail: kathy.piercy{at}usu.edu

Objectives. The purpose of this research was to describe the characteristics of strong commitment to home-based elder care among intergenerational family caregivers.

Methods. I conducted two qualitative studies using in-depth interviews with primary and secondary intergenerational caregivers. A total of 45 primary caregivers, 10 spouses, and 11 adult grandchildren discussed development of their relative's care, their caregiving experiences, use of paid services, and how caregiving affected their lives. I followed McCracken's five-step method for analysis of long interviews.

Results. Strongly committed caregivers composed half of the total sample. All primary caregivers with strong commitments were women; some strongly committed secondary caregivers were men. Strong commitments had moral, religious, and affectionate bases. Participants gave compassionate care and reframed adverse situations as manageable challenges. Family members and paid providers assisted primary caregivers. Participants viewed caregiving as rewarding and as an opportunity to teach compassion to children.

Discussion. Results suggest that strongly committed intergenerational caregivers need support from both family and formal care services to sustain their commitments to care. Future research can investigate the role of resilience in caregiver commitments and develop caregiver commitment measures for use in elaborating models of informal long-term care.