Journal of gerontological social work
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J Gerontol Soc Work · Jan 2015
Deciding to institutionalize: caregiving crisis, intergenerational communication, and uncertainty management for elders and their children in Shanghai.
This phenomenological study integrated crisis theory, social identity theory, and uncertainty management theory to conceptualize the decision-making process around institutionalization among nursing home residents and their children in Shanghai. I conducted face-to-face, semistructured interviews with 12 dyads of matched elders and their children (N = 24). ⋯ Children finalized the decision by helping their parents to manage the uncertainties pertaining to institutionalization. This study sheds light on caregiving decision-making dynamics for the increasing aging population across cultures.