Summary
Contents
Subject index
Today women find themselves playing an ever-increasing role in caring for older family members who are frail, developmentally disabled, or suffering from serious mental illness. While this has role of women as caregivers has been documented, the actual impact on the lives of women has remained largely unstudied. In this volume, the authors examine caregiving as a central feminist issue, looking at its impact on women socially, personally, and economically. The authors review how changing family structures, the changing economy and workforce, and the changing health care demands of needy adults have impacted on women's lives. They critique existing public and private policies, demonstrating a need for fundamental structural changes in social institutions and attitudes to improve the lives of women. Finally, they propose a social model of care that is oriented toward gender justice–recognition of the work of caring and its impact upon women socially, personally, and economically. For students, scholars and practitioners in the field of gerontology, gender studies, and social work, this book is a must.
The Consequences of Caring
The Consequences of Caring
In this chapter, we explore the emotional, physical, social, and financial costs of assuming the caregiving role as well as the rewards and gratifications. During caregiving years, a considerable variation exists in the types of assistance provided. Consistent with our life course approach, Montgomery and Hatch (1986) suggest that the concept of a caregiving career best captures this notion that the caregiving role is “never established or immutable” but rather it shifts as changes occur in either the carer's or recipient's needs and resources (Montgomery & Datwyler, 1990, p. 36). The social, emotional, physical, and financial consequences of performing the caring role may also change over the course of the illness or disability, the caregiver's or recipient's life ...
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