Jacobson Danielle, Parker Tashani, Cadel Lauren, Mansfield Elizabeth, Kuluski Kerry
Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, Canada.
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Health Expect. 2025 Apr;28(2):e70259. doi: 10.1111/hex.70259.
It is reported that women are more likely to be caregivers than men, experience a higher burden of care and increased emotional health sequelae as a result. Social location (a person's gender, culture, ethnicity, etc.) is known to influence caregiving experiences. However, there is limited work that draws attention to how cultural and linguistic diversity shapes the experiences and expectations of informal caregivers.
The authors aimed to study how to reallocate health and social service resources to better support older adults ageing in place. However, some participants felt strongly about the role of gender. This report addresses the gap for better understanding (1) how gender influences informal caregiving for older adults ageing at home in Ontario, Canada, and (2) how culture may influence gendered caregiving expectations for this population.
A critical social justice paradigm and balance of care framework guided the research. Focus groups (15) and one-one-one interviews (7) were carried out. A collaborative approach to codebook thematic analysis was conducted.
This study was carried out in Peel, a diverse region in Ontario, Canada. 42 individuals participated in the study (14 older adults, 10 caregivers and 18 healthcare providers).
Four themes were found regarding the role of gender in caregiving: (1) women caregivers as catalysts for ageing in place, (2) gender norms, generational standards and the societal expectation for women to be caregivers, (3) the intersection of culture and gender on caregiving for older adults and (4) health service workforce as women-dominant and linguistically diverse.
Service needs not currently met by Canada's healthcare system often become absorbed by women caregivers who facilitate ageing in place. Further research is required to better understand: (1) how a larger breadth of communities experience the intersection of gender and culture in the care of older adults in Ontario, Canada, and (2) how to better harness the diversity within Canada's homecare workforce to allow for cultural, linguistic and/or gender alignment with older adult clients.
Patients and caregivers were research participants; however, the focus groups were co-design sessions, in which participants built and shaped personas and care packages.
据报道，女性比男性更有可能成为照顾者，因此承受着更高的照顾负担，并产生更多的情绪健康问题。社会定位（一个人的性别、文化、种族等）已知会影响照顾体验。然而，关注文化和语言多样性如何塑造非正式照顾者的经历和期望的研究工作有限。
作者旨在研究如何重新分配健康和社会服务资源，以更好地支持老年人居家养老。然而，一些参与者对性别的作用感受强烈。本报告弥补了这一差距，以更好地理解：（1）性别如何影响加拿大安大略省居家养老的老年人的非正式照顾，以及（2）文化如何影响该人群的性别化照顾期望。
一种批判性社会正义范式和照顾平衡框架指导了这项研究。开展了焦点小组（15个）和一对一访谈（7次）。采用协作方法进行编码本主题分析。
本研究在加拿大安大略省一个多元化的地区皮尔进行。42人参与了该研究（14名老年人、10名照顾者和18名医疗服务提供者）。
发现了关于性别在照顾中作用的四个主题：（1）女性照顾者是居家养老的推动者，（2）性别规范、代际标准以及社会对女性成为照顾者的期望，（3）文化与性别在照顾老年人方面的交叉影响，以及（4）医疗服务劳动力以女性为主且语言多样。
加拿大医疗系统目前未满足的服务需求往往由促进居家养老的女性照顾者承担。需要进一步研究以更好地理解：（1）加拿大安大略省更广泛的社区在照顾老年人方面如何体验性别与文化的交叉影响，以及（2）如何更好地利用加拿大家庭护理劳动力的多样性，使其在文化、语言和/或性别方面与老年客户相匹配。
患者和照顾者是研究参与者；然而，焦点小组是共同设计会议，参与者在其中构建并塑造了人物角色和护理包。
