Service utilization among disabled Puerto Rican elders and their caregivers: does acculturation play a role?

This study examined the relationship between language acculturation of disabled Puerto Rican elderly and their caregivers, their length of residence in mainland United States, and the utilization of formal services.

Language acculturation was measured by language use, understanding, and preferences. The sample of this study consisted of 194 dyads of disabled Puerto Rican elders 60 years and older, and their primary caregivers in an urban center in the northeast.

Length of residence in the United States, but not language acculturation, of the disabled Puerto Rican elder and the caregiver was related to elder's use of formal services. Caregivers, whose own children were born in Puerto Rico as opposed to mainland United States, were more likely to use formal services.

Language acculturation, although a commonly used measure of acculturation, may be of decreasing importance in explaining service utilization, as bilingual services become increasingly available. Practice implications are discussed.