Overcoming a Bad Day: a Qualitative Look into the Dementia Caregiving Experiences of Mexican-Origin Women in East Los Angeles

This study explores how Mexican origin women experience dementia caregiving, and the coping strategies they use to manage their caregiving situations. Nine wo men were identified as caregivers of a family member with AD or dementia from a larger study on caregiving. Interviews with them were collected and subsequently analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach to reduce the data to identify thematic content. All but one participant described careg iving as “tiring,” “wearing,” or “hard.” They reported suffering from stress, insomnia, nervousness, migraines, and/or depression because of their caregiving experiences. Participants engaged in various coping strategies to help combat the perceived negative consequences of their caregiv ing experiences. The most commonly reported strategies were various forms of distraction, and meditation or prayer. The Mexican origin women in this study experience faced two types of interpersonal challenges related to dementia caregiving: changes in the care receiver’s personality and behaviors , and physical care needs. They engaged in various coping to strategies to address the difficulties of their situation. This study provides formative research for identifying research questions and topics of examination in the future.
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research