Abstract

A qualitative study of caregivers in Northwest Louisiana was conducted to explore the regional phenomenon of caregiving and the use or non-use of respite care. The participants’ caregiver attitudes represented a more resigned and reactive state of being than the healthier proactive outcomes revealed in the literature, thus putting the participants at greater risk for physical and psychosocial decline. Additionally, the participants’ use of respite care was non-existent. The thought of having another person care for their spouse exposed an area of fear with deep cultural implications. Understanding the regional culture of the participants and the resistance to turning over care of a spouse to another is vital to developing interventions that can re-introduce productive aging for the caregiver without violating cultural norms.