A Study of Determinants of Caregivers’ Attitudes towards Utilization of Residential Care in the UK: Focused on Scottish Family Caregiver in Edinburgh City

Abstract

This study aims to provide deeper understanding of family caregivers’ attitudes towards utilization of residential care in the UK. Therefore, this study purposes to explores determinants of family caregivers’ attitudes. This study uses a qualitative method to provide a deeper understanding of the attitudes. This study interviewed 14 family caregivers in Edinburgh in the UK. The caregivers are family members who care for over 75years old, diagnosed with moderate or severe dementia by a GP. Interview data analyzed according to the ‘constant comparison method’ based on the grounded theory. As a result, the attitudes divided into three different groups of ‘never’, ‘reserve’ and ‘possible’. The influential factors of a group of ‘never’ were strong familism and distrust of institutional care. The ‘reserve’ group said that they postponed using residential care due to enough community care at home and economic burden. The ‘possible’ group has determinants which are week familism, bad health of caregiver and older people with dementia, and lives apart from older people. Most of caregivers in this study believe that the state should provides free long-term care for older people as their right. Nevertheless, they want to continue to care their relatives. This study found the fact that the individualism is not contrary notion of the familism. It means that familism and individualism is thus can complement each other. This study has based on small groups of people, thus it is difficult to generalize. However, it tries to provide in-deepth understanding of caregivers. It also shows the new perspective on the attitudes of caregivers in the Western society.