Whither goest thou - and why?: a study to explore factors involved for families in the decision making process leading to the placement of elders of European descent in long term care in New Zealand

Abstract

Between 1970 and 1984 there was a trend for older people in New Zealand to move into Rest Homes during their retirement years. This trend was encouraged by the lack of home support services available to families and enhanced by the movement of adult children to different parts of the country or overseas. The criteria for funding of services available to the older person in New Zealand are constantly being re-evaluated and have resulted in an increase in options for the care of elders in our society. However, the number of elderly people caring for their older parents is increasing and projected to increase further into the twenty first century. The migration of family members also continues. Studies on the stress and burnout factors of caregivers of the family elder have also been undertaken. This study seeks to discover factors involved for families in the decision to place family elders into long term care. Four caregivers who had placed their elders in long term care during the previous twelve months were interviewed, using a descriptive narrative methodology. The caregivers were three females and one male. Two elders were divorced and two were widowed. The decision to exclude Maori elders from the study was deliberate as the researcher believed it would be inappropriate for a non-Maori to research Maori stories.