Informal and Formal Longterm Care of Frail Older Adults in Cairo, Egypt

Michele A. Sinunu, Emory University
Nadia El-Afifi, Palestine Hospital

This paper summarizes the findings of a qualitative study exploring the processes by which family caretakers in Cairo decide to place their frail older relatives into longterm care in a setting where norms of filial obligation remain strong. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted over a three-month period with 17 "cases" (family caretakers who placed an older relative into a longterm care center in Palestine Hospital in Cairo) and 15 matched "controls" (family caretakers who care for their older relatives at home). Seven factors influenced decisions of adult caregivers about location of care: older adult's health status, availability of kin, filial obligation and ideals of reciprocity, characteristics of family caregivers and the quality of caregiver-older relative relationships, religious conviction, and a desire to do what is "best" for the older relative.