Cultural Context of Caregiving: The Perspectives of a Care Giver and a Care Recipient

The Family Caregiver Alliance estimates 52 million people in the United States provide informal caregiving to friends or family members with chronic diseases or disabilities, saving the U.S. economy $257 billion. This presentation examines the following cultural and sociological aspects of caregiving from the unique perspective of the presenters themselves: a caregiver of aging parents with complex medical conditions and a care recipient with childhood onset spinal muscular atrophy. 1. What are the cultural values in the United States underlying the choice to provide care? 2. What are the expectations of our society for women who are informal caregivers and what are the special considerations when men become caregivers? 3. What are the financial implications for both paid and unpaid caregiving? 4. What kinds of supports are needed to insure that caregivers are able to maintain their own physical and mental well-being when faced with caregiving responsibilities? 5. What are the implications when care needs to be provided long distance in our mobile society? 6. What are the implications for caregiving in dysfunctional families or when the caregiver decides to leave the relationship? 7. What are the ripple effects when family roles change and when caregivers need care? 8. What is the relationship between our systems of formal care and the individual decisions that families make when they can no longer provide the care that is needed? The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the above social justice issues, addressing recommendations for policy, clinical practice, and public health.