Can the Family Still Cope?

Abstract

Objectives: This article examines the impact of disability, cognitive status, and social support on nursing home use in a sample of older Mexican Americans. Method: We used four waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE), a longitudinal study of 3,050 older Mexican Americans living in the Southwest initially contacted in 1993 to 1994. Results: The findings reveal that advanced age, being a man, activities of daily living disability, and cognitive impairment are strong predictors of institutionalization and death. Living with family, arriving in the United States in late life, and access to social support independently decreased the probability of dying in a nursing home. Discussion: Although it is clear that adequate social support can make it possible for an impaired older person to remain in the community serious impairment can eventually overwhelm even a supportive network and result in the institutionalization of an impaired older person.