Living in a nursing home is not the way most people want to spend the last years of our life. Two ways that boundary ambiguity occurs. The family can ignore or deny the information when facts and diagnoses are clear. Denial can be a cognitive decision, or the denial system can be so powerful that it blocks the cognition. Rationale for the study Several studies have looked at the effects caretaking burden has on caretakers.
Individual development does play a role in family decision making.
This study seeks to explore the different steps individuals take to provide support to spouses and parents who may no longer be able to adequately care for themselves and how decisions are different for different groups of people. The concepts of differentiation of self in the family system and family adaptability and cohesion will be utilized to analyze the decision making process. Participants will be asked to respond to scenarios as if they were the adult child or spouse of an individual who may be in need of caretaking services. Participants will be asked to indicate what steps they would take if they were in the situation and had to make a decision about what steps should be taken. They will be asked to indicate how likely they would be to recommend different types of intervention.