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A phenomenological study on the experiences of aging parents caring for their adult son/daughter with a disability Petrica, Joni Elizabeth
Abstract
With the continued movement toward deinstitu tionalization, and community—based health care, professionals will see a rise in the number of aging parents caring for their adult son/daughter with a disability. Little research exists to understand the needs of aging parents, and what is available reflects quantitative studies that primarily focus on parents’ feelings of stress and burden, and their future planning concerns for the adult child. In order to discover and describe the totality of aging parents’ experiences caring for an adult child with a disability, this study used a phenomenological approach to elicit qualitative information. Both mothers and fathers were interviewed, and the results indicated that the presence of a child with a disability in the lives of these parents has contributed positively to parents’ sense of self, their perceptions of themselves as parents, and the meanings and interpretations they give to their lives in spite of - or as a result of — having cared for a disabled child. Parents’ accounts of their experiences with professionals also suggested the value of social workers listening to parents’ needs and concerns in the context of a lifetime of struggles and demands, achievements and accomplishments. In this way, social workers are better able to help parents address their own developmental needs of aging by providing sensitive and timely programs and services that address parents’ unique challenges raising an adult child with a disability.
Item Metadata
Title |
A phenomenological study on the experiences of aging parents caring for their adult son/daughter with a disability
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1994
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Description |
With the continued movement toward deinstitu
tionalization, and community—based health care, professionals
will see a rise in the number of aging parents caring for
their adult son/daughter with a disability. Little research
exists to understand the needs of aging parents, and what is
available reflects quantitative studies that primarily focus
on parents’ feelings of stress and burden, and their future
planning concerns for the adult child. In order to discover
and describe the totality of aging parents’ experiences caring
for an adult child with a disability, this study used a
phenomenological approach to elicit qualitative information.
Both mothers and fathers were interviewed, and the
results indicated that the presence of a child with a
disability in the lives of these parents has contributed
positively to parents’ sense of self, their perceptions of
themselves as parents, and the meanings and interpretations
they give to their lives in spite of - or as a result of —
having cared for a disabled child. Parents’ accounts of their
experiences with professionals also suggested the value of
social workers listening to parents’ needs and concerns in the
context of a lifetime of struggles and demands, achievements
and accomplishments. In this way, social workers are better
able to help parents address their own developmental needs of aging by providing sensitive and timely programs and services
that address parents’ unique challenges raising an adult child
with a disability.
|
Extent |
2189612 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-04
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0094709
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1994-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.