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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Angelica P. Herrera, MPH, DrPHc¹, Jerry W. Lee, PhD², Naomi Modeste, DrPH², Patti Herring, PhD, RN³, and Johnny Ramirez-Johnson, EdD⁴. (1) Health Promotion and Education, Loma Linda University, School of Public Health, 8380 El Mundo St. Apt. 318, Houston, TX 77054, (619) 417-7735, angelicaherrera75@yahoo.com, (2) Health Promotion and Education, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Nichol Hall Room 1511, Loma Linda, CA 92354, (3) School of Public Health, Dept. Health Promotion & Ed, Loma Linda University, Nichol Hall, Loma Linda, CA 92350, (4) Faculty of Religion, Loma Linda University, Griggs Hall, Rm 216, Loma Linda, CA 92350

Objectives: Participation in long-term care services may prevent the deterioration of family caregivers' mental and physical health, yet research suggests that Latino caregivers may forego needed long-term care in the absence of socioeconomic barriers. Methods: Using a sample of 66 Mexican-American family caregivers residing in San Diego, California, a standard regression analysis examined familism, acculturation, gender roles, religiosity, and knowledge and perceptions about long-term care, as potential determinants of long-term care use, alongside other factors known for their association with long-term care use (e.g. functional status of care recipient, caregiver burden and health). Results: Caregivers were more likely to use long-term care if they had low familism, had a physician's referral, were knowledgeable about services, had health insurance, shared the caregiving responsibility, and were less acculturated. The lack of an expected positive association between higher acculturation and long-term care use may be attributed to higher rates of Medicaid coverage in low acculturated caregivers. Over 77.3% of caregivers reported being the sole care provider, and half (51%) were depressed. Conclusion: While familism may deter long-term care use to some extent, Mexican-American family caregivers are inclined to participate in long-term care when empowered with the resources and knowledge. Providers, particularly, are important brokers of long-term care. Facilitating enrollment in Medicaid, the largest payer of long-term care, may be one step toward increasing their participation in long-term care. Lastly, the large number of caregivers working in isolation in this study is alarming, given the role of family support in predicting long-term care use.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the cultural factors that affect caregivers’ perceptions about and use of long-term care service use.
• Identify the role of spiritual coping by caregivers in determining long-term care service use.
• Assess the extent that Mexican-American family caregivers use community-based and institutional type of long-term care services.

Keywords: Caregivers, Minority Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered