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

Qual Health Res. 2000 Jul;10(4):452-70. doi: 10.1177/104973200129118570.

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 care experience with the support network members are 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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Black or African American
  • Caregivers*
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Family
  • Female
  • Homemaker Services*
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Missouri
  • Organizational Case Studies
  • Religion*
  • Rural Health Services
  • Self-Help Groups*