Attitudes toward community-based services among Japanese American families.
OBJECTIVE
This descriptive study explored attitudes toward community-based long-term care services and factors influencing service utilization among Japanese American families.


METHODS
Using grounded theory methodology, the Japanese American sample included 26 family caregivers, 4 persons receiving care, and 14 professional providers (n = 44).


RESULTS
Attitudes toward services were identified along six dimensions: ability to meet care needs, autonomy in daily life, quality of care and staff, cost, emotional connotations, and social and physical environment. Participants used formal services in a dynamic manner, meeting both episodic and chronic needs. Families played an active role in sustaining and augmenting the caregiving situation, regardless of living arrangement.


CONCLUSIONS
This research highlights the range of criteria included in attitude formation about services and the dynamic nature of the interplay between families and formal services.
Young
Heather M
HM
de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, Box 357266, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7266, USA. younghm@u.washington.edu
McCormick
Wayne M
WM
Vitaliano
Peter P
PP
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003153:Community Health Services; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology