Abstract:

The U.S. population is growing older, & states are facing a burgeoning & ethnically diverse elderly population for which to provide long-term care. Without planning & preparation, as well as an adequate long-term care infrastructure designed to meet aging population needs, many seniors & their families will have a difficult time making informed choices about long-term care alternatives. In an examination of the process of community long-term care decision making among nondependent older individuals & their families, three questions are addressed: (1) What current strategies do elderly individuals & their families use to decide which avenue of care is best suited to them? (2) How does the array of services available for meeting an elderly person's long-term care needs vary with cultural, social-class, & family differences? (3) What channels of communication do consumers & their families use when planning for long-term care, & what information do they find most helpful? Findings shed light on how individual factors interact with system-level factors to influence the long-term care decision-making capacity of seniors & their families, & provide useful insights into how cultural factors influence consumers' assessment of their risk of becoming disabled & the sort of strategies families rely on to help their elders cope with diminished health.