Poster Presentation
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Meaning of traditional Chinese filial piety within nursing home placement decision
Yu-Ping Chang, PhD(c), MSN, RN, School of Nursing, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| Learning Objective #1: better understand about decision making process among Chinese adult children caregivers |
| Learning Objective #2: understand about values and influence of traditional Chinese filial piety |
The decision to place a loved one with dementia into a nursing home has long been considered a very difficult and conflicted experience. An important perspective regarding nursing home placement that is specific to the Chinese population is traditional Chinese filial piety which makes this decision process unique. Traditional Chinese filial piety places a profound value and revered belief on children that it is their responsibility to care for their disabled parents. Researchers have suggested that filial piety is a factor that affects adult children’s decisions to use nursing homes but much less is known about how filial piety may influence the context of adult children caregivers’ decision making process regarding the nursing home placement in today’s Chinese society. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of traditional Chinese piety from Chinese adult children caregivers’ perspectives when making a nursing home placement for their demented parents. Using a grounded theory approach, data were collected through individual interviews with 10 adult children caregivers who are making or had made a decision of nursing home placement from a memory clinic and a nursing home facility in Taiwan. Through the constant comparative method, five themes emerged that reflected the values and influence of traditional Chinese filial piety that caregivers perceived within the decision making process. These themes include: never giving up on care, doing the best with gratitude, intrinsic obligation, cause of dilemma and family conflict, and the changing paradigm of traditional Chinese filial piety. The findings of this study can provide a better understanding of decision making process of nursing home placement within the Chinese cultural context, and also help clinical nurses tailor nursing interventions to facilitate the difficult decision process for Chinese caregivers.