Abstract

ROBLES SILVA, Leticia. The relation caregiving and aging: between survival and social devaluation. Pap. poblac [online]. 2005, vol.11, n.45, pp.49-69. ISSN 2448-7147.

The aim of this paper is to show how caregiving has a useful social function for elderly people, as well as for devaluating them. A qualitative study was carried on rural and urban old people in Mexico. Old people conceive caregiving as an inevitable feature of aging, but also a valuable and desirable social resource. However, caregiving is also an undesirable event, since people who receive it are seen as dependent people and, thus, become socially devaluated. From their perspective there are two kind of old people regarding caregiving: Those who receive it and those who do not. The former ones are devaluated old people because they are fully dependent; the latter are old people who are able to take care of themselves, who do not need to receive any kind of care hence, avoid the social devaluation. The results are discussed as a paradox of social cooperation.

Keywords : population aging; senior population; elderly people; social devaluation; caregiving to elderly people; Mexico.

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