Married Couples in Assisted Living: Adult Children’s Experiences Providing Support

Being married in later life often prevents relocation to long-term care settings, but couples do relocate to these environments. Typically, this transition does not mark the end of support provided by families, especially adult children. Little is known about children’s experiences providing support...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2012-05, Vol.33 (5), p.639-661
Main Author: Kemp, Candace L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Children
Assisted living facilities
Caregivers
Children
Children & youth
Couples
Family Attitudes
Family Characteristics
Family Involvement
Family Relationship
Family Role
Intergenerational Programs
Interviews
Long Term Care
Older Adults
Parents
Phenomenology
Privacy
Relocation
Residential Care
Social Adjustment
Social Support
Social Support Groups
Spouses
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Summary:Being married in later life often prevents relocation to long-term care settings, but couples do relocate to these environments. Typically, this transition does not mark the end of support provided by families, especially adult children. Little is known about children’s experiences providing support in care settings when both parents are involved. This article presents an analysis of qualitative data from a study involving 20 married couples living together in assisted living (AL) and 10 adult children. It asks the following: (a) What are children’s support experiences when parents relocate to and live together in AL? (b) To what extent does the AL context influence their experiences? Despite having a “heavy burden” from “double the work,” children were relieved to have both parents in one place. Children expressed concern over privacy, “tight quarters,” spousal caregiving, and keeping their parents together. Findings have implications for future research and policy and practice.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X11416447