The church family and kin: An older rural Black woman's support network and preferences for care providers

Author(s): Ganong, L. H., Armer, J. M.

Journal/Book: Qual Health Res. 2000; 10: 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA. Sage Publications Inc. 452-470.

Abstract: Although kin and church are considered premier support sources for rural elders,few scholars have undertaken descriptive studies to explore the nature of rural Black elders' support networks and their preferences for in-home service providers. In the case study described in this article, methods of support network analysis and descriptive phenomenology were used to analyze data from five lengthy, open-ended interviews with a 94-year-old rural Black woman. The various groups and individuals of her network are labeled in her words, the network's supportive functions are described, and preferences for providers are noted. In addition, the varying structures of her home cave experience with the support network members art! described. Her attempts to voice and exercise her preferences for in-home service providers are explained in terms of two contrasting processes: preference uptake and preference suppression. Based on these findings, implications for appraising the appropriateness of rural elders' in-home services are discussed.

Note: Article Porter EJ, Univ Missouri, Sinclair Sch Nursing, Columbia,MO 65201 USA

Keyword(s): INFORMAL SUPPORT; HEALTH-SERVICES; SOCIAL SUPPORT; HOME CARE; ELDERLY BLACKS; WOMEN; LIFE; DETERMINANTS; ETHNICITY; PATTERNS

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