Diversity Within Family Caregiving: Extending Definitions of "Who Counts" to Include Marginalized Communities

As researchers in the field of diversity and aging, we share Williams et al.'s call for policymakers to pay attention to the experiences of family caregivers across a wider spectrum than that which currently operates in health and social care. This paper addresses the particular issues at play in interactions between caregivers from marginalized 1communities and mainstream service providers. Using case studies from our work with ethnocultural minority (2) and LGBT (3) older adults, this commentary describes the unique realities faced by marginalized communities in their efforts to both provide care and gain access to a broad range of health and social care services. The assumptions addressed provide a basis for reconsidering how caregivers are perceived, experience services and demonstrate resilience in developing alternative forms of support.