Communication in Families With an Aging Parent: A Review of the Literature and Agenda for Future Research

This chapter reviews the research findings in the area of intergenerational relations within families that have an aging adult, including theoretical approaches to aging. The author advances a new perspective on communication between family members over the life span that uses social identity theory and communication accommodation theory, arguing that the roles that family members play over time create a unique situation over the life span that may be intergroup in nature. Within this intergroup situation the family must systematically adapt to the changing physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual differences that occur from birth to death. These roles can create stereotypical expectations based on group differences—where once the context was almost exclusively interpersonal, the changing ages create a situation more intergroup in nature. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some future research directions this interdisciplinary perspective may follow.