ABSTRACT
An understanding of social factors that create the diversity among caregivers and the implications of the diversity for meeting caregivers’ needs are critical for practitioners charged with developing and implementing support services. There is a general consensus within the literature that one family member serves as the primary source of care for an impaired elderly person although others in the family and friend network may serve as “secondary caregivers”. Spouses and adult children who are primary caregivers also differ in the way they share care responsibilities with other family members who may participate in the caregiving process as backup or secondary sources of care. The sex of the caregivers involved tends to be associated with the patterns of care sharing. The differences in care constellations between families with spouse primary caregivers vs. adult-children likely account for cultural differences that have been observed in care patterns and use of support services.
