Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Elder care is assistance provided to a senior because of that senior's chronic health problem or disability. Tasks include household work, indoor and outdoor home maintenance, banking and financial management, personal care, and care management ( Keating et al. 1999 ). The term has been part of the gerontology lexicon for many years. Its origins lie in the description of the tasks provided by formal or paid caregivers (i.e., nurses or home support workers) to seniors with chronic illnesses such as dementia. More recently, the term has also been used to describe family members and friends who care for frail older adults. In contrast to formal caregivers, their care is called informal. Tasks done by these formal and informal caregivers are not unique and may be provided to younger adults as well. While adults over age 65 are considered seniors, in contemporary discussion elder care denotes assistance to those who are very old. In developed countries, onset of age-related chronic illnesses is prevalent after age 75 and most people in residential (nursing home) settings are over age 80. Formal and informal caregivers to frail seniors differ in a number of ways. Formal caregivers have an agency–client relationship based on an agreement to provide services, most often for pay. The services they provide in community settings are discrete, based on the mandate of the organization and time ... log in or subscribe to read full text