Research On Stress And Coping Strategies Of Primary Caregivers Of Elderly

At present, China vigorously promote and develop home-based care services, a lot of study concern the elderly service. In family life, life quality of the elderly and their caregivers are closely related, but in the present stage carers’situation is much less attention. Through qualitative research of13carers case in Chongqing city, this study discussed minders’pressure and difficulties when care for the elderly, and their coping strategies in the face of pressure.The study found:first, carers face great mental pressure, bear the negative reaction such as fear, anxiety, guilt, grievances; second, carers’health is threatened, poorly carer health damage; third, carers face enormous economic pressure; fourth, thanks to the care and work conflict, carers under work pressure; fifth, to care for the elderly, carers’time limiedt, quality of life greatly affected. When they are under pressure, minders change their own perspectives to adjust to their situation. Such is their perspective, that taking care of the elders are considered to be a sort of duty and responsibility due to their blood tie or marriage. Thus, taking care of the old and any side effects of doing so will not be considered as unbearable, for their pressure can get balanced somehow by the fact that the elders are too old to take care of themselves. Meanwhile, some minders also want to set up an example in the family so that the young people can also take care of them when they are aged, just like they take care of the old. Some minders can’t avoid being pessimistic that they feel forced to do so by their fate not their own will. Not just do minders change their thoughts to adjust the situation, but they will take some actions in response to pressure. Specificly speaking, some people try to handle everything on their own. They pull in their belt in daily life and put the elders first. They grin and bear the pressure and try to escape from the reality. While on the other side, the others tend to get help from the outside both officially or unofficially. Unofficially, they turn to family members, relatives, neighbours and friends for help. Officially, community, government and social organizations are available for them.When face arduous tasks and pressure, carera will seek ocial support, but their choices turn out to be in a certain’Pattern of Difference Sequence’. Family members played the most important role, friends, neighbors and formal socialsupport system while also play a role, but most of them only in the family support cannot effectively solve the problem. Social work can provide a variety of services, such as helpcarers to tap their own potential, integration their resources to establisha social support network to relieve the pressure. But because the process of occupation and specialization is so slow that greatly restricts the social work service function.