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Abstract

Using an interview format, this exploratory study examined the narratives of 15 Mexican American primary caretakers and the perceived effects of adult day care centers (ADCs) on the lives of their elderly impoverished parents. Emergent themes and categories included (a) caretaking and gender differences, (b) resistance to nursing homes, (c) negative perceptions of White caregivers, (d) perceived positive effect of ADCs on the elderly parent's physical and emotional (depression) states and the elderly parent-caregiver relationship, and (d) the negative effects of stress associated with caregiving. The data also provide insight into complicated dynamics regarding the differential treatment of daughters and sons in Mexican American families. Pearlin's stress process model provides explanations for the buffering effects of ADCs reported by caregivers.

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Family Caregivers of Impoverished Mexican American Elderly Women: The Perceived Impact of Adult Day Care Centers

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