Abstract:

Drawing on a 1980 survey of middle-aged & elderly residents (N = 464) of Hamilton, Ontario, it was found that few parents & grown-up children discussed in advance what might happen should parents become seriously ill or unable to look after themselves. However, most respondents did feel these matters should be discussed in advance, & that the parents should be the ones to raise the issue. Both the middle aged & the elderly rarely talked with siblings or friends about the possibility of their own or their parents' dependency; however, children expressed a great deal of concern for parents, especially for older parents. A variety of possible contributing explanations are suggested, ranging from unwillingness to acknowledge changing family structure & mortality to parents' view on non-family-provided services.