Family is considered to be the seed of the society and this perception makes the family a very important entity in everyday life. There comes a time in the family where the elderly, due to their age, need special care. Under such circumstances, the other members of the family are forced to give more attention to them. This has some effects on the family, as discussed in the essay below.
Care for the Elderly
Caring for the elderly at home is never an easy task. More often than not the caregivers find themselves in a position where some aspects of their lives are negatively affected (Jones and Peters, 1992). Under these circumstances, the care givers are often forced to look for alternative care for the elderly rather than take care of them at home. In any case, there are both positive and negative effects associated with caring for the elderly at home, both positive and negative. Some of these effects are as stated below.
When the elderly tend to live longer, there are various benefits that the nuclear as well as the extended family reap. One of the benefits is in form of passage of knowledge. It is thought that the elderly are quite resourceful due to their experiences in life/ as such, being associated with them can interpret to gaining part of the knowledge that is inherent in them.
However, there are some negative effects as well. As Ziemba (2002) observes, there is the likelihood that the social life of the caregiver can be affected negatively. This is because the individual takes much of his time caring for the elderly. As the social ties are broken, the caregiver is prone to face psychological stress since the caring work is too much and there is no time to vent out the stresses.
At the family level, the pressure of caring for the elderly can mount where the mother gets pre-occupied with the elderly at the expense of her family (Schaie & Willis, 2002). This case arises since the daughters are more often than not charged with the responsibility of caring for the old (Jones and Peters, 1992). However, the major disruption in the life of the caregiver occurs when the pressure to care for the elderly becomes too much that it affects the work and career life of the caregiver (Ziemba, 2002). This makes life quite difficult. The situation is even worse when the elderly has some special needs such as health conditions.
For the extended families, the pressure mounts on them as well. For instance, there is the case where the elderly can be suffering from a disease such as cancer (Schaie & Willis, 2002, p.433). Under such circumstance, the resources of the nuclear family can be exhausted. As such, they have to call for assistance. This mostly comes from the extended family. As such, the burden gets felt by the entire family in the long run.
The trend for taking care of the elderly in the American society has greatly changed (Schaie and Willis, 200, p. 512). There are instances when the family feels that the pressure is so much on them and they cannot adequately take care of the person. Under such circumstances, they tend to take the elderly to the homes for the elderly where they receive care from professionals (medicare.gov, 2010). On he physical and health wellness, there are therapists who offer services such as occupational, physical and recreational services.
Jones, D.A., & Peters, T.J. (1992). Caring for Elderly Dependants: Effects on the Carer’s Quality of Life. Oxford Journal. Vol. 21(6). Pp. 421-428. Retrieved on 26th March 2012 from http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/6/421.abstract
Medicare.gov. (2010). Nursing Homes. Retrieved on 26th March 2012 from http://www.medicare.gov/nursing/alternatives/pace.asp
References
Schaie, K.W., & Willis, S.L (2002). Adult Development and Aging, (5th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Ziemba, R.A. (2002). Family Health & Caring for the Elderly Parents. Michigan Family Review. Retrieved on 26th March 2012 from http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mfr/4919087.0007.104?rgn=main;view=fulltext
