The study proposes to build the knowledge needed by professionals to advise ethnic caregivers in the use of culturally congruent informal and formal resources that will prevent exhaustion and family crisis. It will lead to understanding of factors influencing caregivers' acceptance of services. The proposed study expands upon the work of the PI: the use of a family-based theoretical framework with caregivers and the measurement of family functioning. Specifically, the study explores differences between Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and White non-Hispanic caregivers in their perception of need and actual urse of resources.
The aims are (1) To describe and contrast the needs and actual use of informal (family care) and formal (service programs) resources of 852 demographically differing caregivers in Miami-Dade County; (2) To develop a model that evaluates the strength of predictors (caregiving culture, family functioning, caregiving characteristics, and elder functioning) of both caregiver perception of need for resources and actual use of resources. (3) To explore the multidimensional constructs of family functioning and caregiving cultural patterns and their appropriateness as predictors of the perception of resource need and actual use. (4) To develop and test a culturally appropriate model that provides a solid base of knowledge about the process of selecting resources from which to develop and implement strategies to advise caregivers and influence policy makers in promoting services that are culturally acceptable and effective. The sample will be recruited with the cooperation of three home care agencies. A random sample of 852 caregivers of elders, age 65 and older, from three ethnic groups (Hispanics, African American/Blacks, non-Hispanic Whites) will be obtained. Of the total, 426 will be drawn to develop the model and the second 426 will be used to test the model with an independent sample. The caregivers will be interviewed about their informal caregiving arrangements, need for assistance and actual use of services. The measures used were previously found reliable. Analyses involve correlational and factor analyses, path analysis and structural modeling. All measures will be tested for reliability and trimmed, if necessary. The fit of the model will be examined with data from all 852 caregivers. Possibly, separate models will be developed for groups based on ethnic, demographic, or relationship differences.
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