Latino Elders: Is Familismo Alive & Well?

This study explores the role of familismo in meeting health care needs for older Latino and their families. This presentation formed part of my Ph.D. dissertation; exploring how Latino elders view family and familismo and to what extent a familistic orientation translates into health action and support,

For Latinos, familismo implies close family relations and intergenerational exchanges of economic and social support. Embedded is the presumption that parents will be taken care of in their old age. Asians were used as a comparison group in this mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, as Latinos and Asians are the two fastest growing elderly groups in the US, they share an extended family focus, and comprise large segments of the California population. Despite a greater need for assistance in old age, the majority of Latino elders report infrequent contact with family. In the absence of family, Latinos learned to extend family boundaries, so that neighbors and friends pitch in and become “like family to me”. However, a familistic perspective comes through for Latinos, as family takes on a more active role of advocacy and support in health care.

The health of Latino elders and the question of who will help to care for them in old age becomes a major concern. These findings call into question the present state of familismo and the presumption that the family is able to care for its own. Is the glass half empty—or half full?