The familial trend of caregiving about the elderly parents affects each family differently. It is happening due to many reasons, such as socioeconomic factors, interpersonal relationships, and cultural backgrounds. Different sociological perspectives such as conflict perspective, functionalism perspective, and symbolic interactionism perspective help to give a more wholesome perception of the certain trend. The familial trend of children as caregivers for their parents is analyzed in this blog post to get a comprehensive outlook of its impact on society and social institutions.
In the example of two countries, Russia and the United States, the reasons behind the familial trend might be slightly different. From the conflict perspective in Russian culture, caring for the elderly implies that regular adult children and older parents coexist together, creating a more robust social construct. In order to survive and manage the problems, children live on their parent’s property while taking care of them if necessary, and the elderly can watch over the grandchildren if their parents are at work (Pilkauskas & Cross, 2018). They supplement each other with available resources that, in aggregate, are beneficial for all of them. In the US, for instance, the care for parents is more struggling because adult children and the elderly are most commonly live separately and tend to lead their life simultaneously. Therefore, depending on the initial family dynamics and the culture and traditions, one familial trend affects each family differently.
From the functionalist perspective, the familial trend of children becoming the caregivers for their parents positively impacts society. The existing family dynamic of close relationships among the family members leads to the support and care about one another through time. They are developing the genuine intentions to be flexible in challenging situations and take the caregiver’s role if necessary, which may create the pattern of the specific attitude within the family.
Consequently, it broadens the impact on social institutions and society in general. For instance, if family members provide their elderly with medical assistance, include them in the family and pay attention, there are lower chances of them appearing in the nursing home. Such familial trend works a preventing method from neglecting older people and their health, which positively affects the healthcare and economy since there are fewer elderly in need or a critical state. In addition, society, in general, might feel less stressed and sacred about growing old, understanding that if they need additional help and will not be able to deal with something on their own, they can rely on their loved ones.
According to the symbolic interactionist theory, people, through communication, define the meaning of their social interactions and fill them with certain senses depending on the status of relationships. Through direct interactions, people exchange their through, desires and intentions (Popular theories of sociology, 2022). The same happens in every family when members constantly communicate and build particular family dynamics through communication effectiveness. Family defines themselves and the character of their relationship based on the verbal and non-verbal communication, the unique meanings establishment. Thus, some families are closer and loving, and in some, their members are distant and autonomous, for example. However, the definition may change and evolve as the individuals grow older experience shifts in their beliefs and attitudes towards the family members. This is why some children become caregivers for their parents when they are adults. A healthy atmosphere with mutual respect can motivate the children to take responsibility and take care of the older parents exchanging social roles (Austin, 2022). Therefore, depending on the communication level between the members and their ability to build a connection, the definition of the forms evolves with time.
Overall, the caregiving trend for older parents might contribute to mutual aid and unity in society. Individuals willingness to support each other and perceive the feeling of the strong community usually evolves from the family dynamics. One of the critical aspects that unites all three perspectives is that the close relationships and a feeling of belonging to the individual’s small community can stimulate positive changes and impact society.
References
Popular theories of sociology. National University. Web.
Pilkauskas, N. V., & Cross, C. (2018). Beyond the nuclear family: Trends in children living in shared households. Demography, 55(6), 2283-2297. Web.
Austin, L. Children as caregivers. Today’s Caregiver. Web.