Mexican American elders' use of home care services

Mexican American (MA) elders are more functionally impaired at younger ages than other elders yet use home care services (HCS) less. To determine the possible reasons, nine questionnaires were completed in Spanish or English by MA elders and caregivers living in southern Arizona (N = 280). Contextual, personal, and attitudinal factors were significantly associated with the use of HCS, and cultural/ethnic factors were significantly associated with confidence in HCS. Interventions should be designed and tested to increase the use of HCS by MA elders by increasing service awareness and confidence in HCS while preserving the expectations of familism and reducing caregiving burden.