Abstract
A cross-sectional, qualitative study was undertaken with a group(n = 10) of elderly Mexican-American men and women in an innercity congregate meal site of a large Midwestern city. The purpose of thestudy was to explicate: the older adults‘ residential preferences shouldthey become unable to live in their own homes, and their beliefs abouteldercare. Themes arising from the semi-structured interviews include:nursing homes as places of last resort, the desire not to be a burden tochildren, intergenerational differences in lifestyle, and extended familyinvolvement in eldercare. Implications of the findings for helpingprofessionals are discussed as are areas needing further investigation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ailinger, R. (1989). Self-assessed health of Hispanic elderly persons, Journal of Community Health6: 113–118.
Ailinger, R. & Causey, M. (1995). Health concept of older Hispanic immigrants, Western Journal of Nursing Research17: 605–613.
Angel, J. & Angel, R. (1992). Age at migration, social connections, and well-being among elderly Hispanics, Journal of Aging and Health4: 480–499.
Chatters, L., Taylor, R. & Jackson, J. (1985). Size and composition of the informal helper networks of elderly Blacks, Journal of Gerontology5: 605–614.
Chiodo, L., Kanten, D., Gerety, M., Mulrow, C. & Cornell, J. (1994). Functional status of Mexican American nursing home residents, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 42: 293–296.
Cox, C. & Monk, A. (1993). Hispanic culture and family care of Alzheimer’s patients, Health and Social Work18: 92–100.
Cox, C. & Monk, A. (1990). Minority caregivers of dementia victims: A comparison of Black and Hispanic families, Journal of Applied Gerontology9: 340–354.
Embry, D. & Russell, N. (1996). Silver strands of Mexico: Support systems for the elderly, Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health2: 34–38.
Espino, D. (1993). Hispanic elderly and long term care: Implications for ethnically sensitive services. In C. Barrest & D. Stull (eds), Ethnic elderly and long-term care(pp. 101–114). New York: Springer.
Espino, D., Neufeld, R., Mulvihill, M. & Libow, L. (1988). Hispanic and non-Hispanic elderly on admission to the nursing home: A pilot study, The Gerontologist28: 821–824.
Greene, V. & Monahan, D. (1984). Comparative utilization of community based long term care services by Hispanic and Anglo elderly in a case management system, Journal of Gerontology39: 730–735.
Greene, V. & Ondrich, J. (1990). Risk factors for nursing home admissions and exits: A discrete-time hazard function approach, Journal of Gerontology45 (supplement): S250–S258.
Hooyman, N. & Lustbader, W. (1986). Taking care. New York: Free Press.
Johnson, F., Foxall, M., Kelleher, E., Kentopp, E., Mannlein, E. & Cook, E. (1988). Comparison of mental health and life satisfaction of five elderly ethnic groups, Western Journal of Nursing Research10: 613–628.
Johnson, R.A., Schwiebert, V. & Rosenmann, P. (1994). Factors influencing nursing home placement decisions: The older adult’s perspective. Clinical Nursing Research3: 269–281.
Keefe, S., Padilla, A. & Carlos, M. (1979). The Mexican-American extended family as an emotional support system, Human Organization38: 144–152.
Lockery, S. (1991). Family & social supports: Caregiving among racial & ethnic minority elders, GenerationsFall/Winter: 58–62.
Markides, K. & Mindel, C. (1987). Aging and ethnicity. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Markides, K., Boldt, J. & Ray, L. (1986). Sources of helping and intergenerational solidarity: A three-generation study of Mexican Americans, Journal of Gerontology41: 506–511.
McCoy, J. & Edwards, B. (1981). Contextual and sociodemographic antecedents of institutionalization among aged welfare recipients, Medical Care19: 907–921.
McKenna, M. (1989). Twice in need of care: A transcultural nursing analysis of elderly Mexican Americans, Journal of Transcultural Nursing1: 46–52.
Montgomery, R. & Kosloski, K. (1994). A longitudinal analysis of nursing home placement for dependent elders cared for by spouses vs. adult children, Journal of Gerontology49 (supplement): S62–S74.
Newton, F. (1980). Issues in research and service delivery among Mexican-American elderly: A concise statement with recommendation, The Gerontologist20: 208–213.
Parra, E. & Espino, D. (1992). Barriers to health care access faced by elderly Mexican Americans, Clinical Gerontologist11: 171–177.
Pratt, C., Jones, L., Shin, H. & Walker, A. (1989). Autonomy and decision-making between single older women and their caregiving daughters, The Gerontologist29: 792–797.
Purdy, J. & Arguello, D. (1992). Hispanic familism in caretaking of older adults: Is it functional, Journal of Gerontological Social Work19: 29–43.
Retsinas, J. (1991). Triggers to nursing home placement, Geriatric Nursing12: 235–236.
Schwiebert, V., Johnson, R.A. & Alvarado-Rosenmann, P. (in press). Factors affecting translocation of older persons: A pilot study, Journal of Nursing Science.
Starrett, R., Bresler, C., Decker, J., Walters, G. & Rogers, D. (1990). The role of environmental awareness and support networks in Hispanic elderly persons’ use of formal social service, Journal of Community Psychology18: 218–227.
Starrett, R., Rogers, D. & Decker, J. (1992). The self-reliance behavior of the Hispanic elderly in comparison to their use of formal mental health helping networks, Clinical Gerontologist 11: 157–169.
Starrett, R., Todd, A., Decker, J. & Walters, G. (1989). The use of formal helping networks to meet the psychological needs of the Hispanic elderly, Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences11: 259–273.
Talamantes, M., Lawler, W. & Espino, D. (1995). Hispanic American elders: Caregiving norms surrounding dying and the use of hospice services, The Hospice Journal10: 35–49.
Torres-Gil, F. (1986). An examination of factors affecting future cohorts of elderly Hispanics, The Gerontologist26: 140–146.
Tran, T. (1994). Bilingualism and subjective well-being in a sample of elderly Hispanics, Journal of Social Service Research20: 1–19.
US Administration on Aging (1989). A profile of older Americans. Washington, DC.
US Bureau of the Census (1992). Population estimates, by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin: 1980 to 1991. Washington, DC.
Valle, R. & Martinez, C. (1981). Natural networks of elderly Latinos or Mexican heritage: Implications for mental health. In M. Miranda & R. Reis (eds.), Chicago aging and mental health. Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health.
Yeatts, D., Crow, T. & Folts, E. (1992). Service use among low-income minority elderly: Strategies for overcoming barriers, The Gerontologist32: 24–32.
Zsembik, B. (1993). Determinants of living alone among older Hispanics, Research on Aging 15: 449–464.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johnson, R.A., Schwiebert, V.L., Alvarado-Rosenmann, P. et al. Residential preferences and eldercare views of Hispanic elders. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 12, 91–107 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006503202367
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006503202367