Family caregiving to elderly African Americans: caregiver types and structures.

OBJECTIVES

This study identified different types of caregivers who provide care to older African Americans, the types of caregiving structures created to provide care, and the factors that help predict caregiving structures.

METHODS

A community sample of 330 caregivers caring for 202 elderly African Americans was used. Multinomial logistic regression predicted what type of caregiving structure was created by families to provide care to older relatives.

RESULTS

Three types of caregivers were identified: 187 primary caregivers, who were connected to 79 secondary caregivers and 49 tertiary caregivers. Fifteen tertiary-only caregivers who were not connected to other caregivers were identified. Five caregiving structures were found: (i) primary, secondary, and tertiary, (ii) primary and secondary, (iii) primary and tertiary, (iv) primary only, and (v) tertiary-only. Characteristics of care recipients were predictive of caregiving structures.

DISCUSSION

Different types of caregivers with distinct roles and responsibilities provided care within defined caregiving structures to older African American family members. Caregiving structures may be individualistic (only one caregiver) or collectivist (two or more caregivers). Caregiving structure is predicted by the care recipients' conditions and situations, but not those of the primary caregiver.