BLACK VS WHITE CAREGIVERS' FORMAL/INFORMAL SERVICE USE

随着21世纪的到来和心脏治疗的进步 疾病和中风意味着许多人现在活得更长了， 老年人口的增长速度越来越快。许多这样的 人们可能因为疾病和虚弱而需要护理， 强调了了解护理模式变化的必要性。多数 这样的护理是在社区提供的，有些是由无偿的-通常是家庭-提供的- 帮手，这被定义为非正式护理，还有一些是由付费助手提供的， 被定义为正式护理。混合使用正式和非正式词汇的原因 人们对服务的研究很少。这一点在以下方面尤为关键 尊重种族差异，这在很大程度上被忽视了。还没有 涉及的资产、义务和态度的变化 为老年人提供正式和非正式照顾的家庭决定 亲属无疑会因种族而有所不同。回答研究问题的数据 这些问题将从俄亥俄州东北部的700个随机样本中收集 照顾者，黑人和白人平均分配，随机挑选 数字拨号，然后在未来四年内亲自面试 纵向设计。一部分照顾者将被要求保持一个 长达一个月的护理经验日记，用来丰富研究结果 质的洞察。还将从以下方面保护追溯数据 病人的亲属穿着以黑人为主和以白人为主的衣服 疗养院提供有关不同途径的信息 几乎完全的正规护理。这种三管齐下的方法提供了 一种数据收集的三角模型，将在交叉-- 正在验证结果。一种创新的模式来处理照顾者的 关于服务使用的决定将指导这项研究。

As the 21st century approaches and as advances in the treatment of heart disease and stroke mean many are now surviving longer, the number of persons in older age groups is increasingly rapidly. A number of these persons are likely to require care because of illness and frailty, highlighting the need to understand variations in care patterns. Most such care is given in the community, some by unpaid - usually family - helpers, which is defined as informal care, and some by paid assistants, defined as formal care. Reasons for the mix of formal and informal services have been little studied. This is particularly critical with respect to differences by race, which have been largely ignored. Yet variations in assets, obligations, and attitudes that are implicated in family decisions to provide formal and informal care for their aged relatives undoubtedly vary by race. Data to answer research questions on these issues will be collected from a random sample of 700 northeast Ohio caregivers, evenly divided between black and white, selected by random digit dialing, and then personally interviewed in a prospective four year longitudinal design. A subset of the caregivers will be asked to keep a month long diary of caregiving experiences, to enrich the findings with qualitative insights. Retrospective data will also be secured from relatives of patients in a predominantly black and a predominantly white nursing home to provide information on the different pathways to virtually complete formal care. This three-pronged approach provides for a triangulation model of data collection that will be useful in cross-- validating the results. An innovative model dealing with caregivers' decisions about service use will guide the study.