From pushchairs to wheelchairs: understanding tensions in family decision making through the experiences of adult children caring for ageing parents

Abstract

Within a modern family life, roles have changed significantly; however, relatively little attention has been given to the increased health and longevity of parents. This article focuses on the tensions relating to the transitional role of parent as ‘carer of the child’ to child as ‘carer of the parent’ as parents age. This article focuses on the experiences of adult children as they care for their parents and the related tensions that emerge and coping strategies that are adopted. Adopting an interpretive approach we shed light on the decision-making practices around shopping, residential arrangements and other consumer choices and how they take place in complex arenas of intricate family interactions, influence and power. Key themes that emerged were strategies adopted by both the adult child and ageing parent to attain or retain control in an increasingly sensitive environment where there is no roadmap to guide either party.

Keywords:

• identity
• phenomenology
• power relations
• family decision making
• ageing parents

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dianne Dean

Dianne Dean is a Consumer Researcher and obtained her PhD from Stirling. Her research focus has been on the consumption of politics: irrational motivation in politics, in particular exploring aspects such as fear, propaganda, political story-telling and risk. Her interest in affective components of decision making and power has also been applied to the effects of ageing in family relationships and changing consumption patterns and decision making. Prior to working in academia Dianne worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a marketing researcher.

Jean Kellie

Jean Kellie obtained her PhD from Hull focusing on health professionals and internal communications strategies. Her research interests are in the area of management and organisation development together with a range of associated themes – management learning, pedagogical practice, the organisation and context of management learning, the social construction of management knowledge, etc. She has a particular interest in the health sector, examining decision making in institutional hierarchies and decision making in complex family relationships. Outcomes of this research include considerations of appropriate management development provision, effective institutional arrangements and partnership particularly in the health and related sectors.

Pat Mould

Pat Mould is a Chartered Accountant and holds an M.Sc. in Psychology. She is particularly interested in the complexities of financial decision making especially related to families. Her interests include understanding the inter-relationships of financial decision making particularly within the family. Her focus is on the financial decisions that must be made as parents age, at the end of life and how the family deal with those decisions before and after the parent’s death.