Expectations for Families to Care for Older Adults in the United States: Rapid Scoping Review 2011–2023

Abstract

As the population ages and families become increasingly diverse, more work is needed to understand expectations for families to care for older adults. In this review, we discuss the theoretical frameworks and conceptualizations used to study care expectations, summarize overarching findings about theories of care expectations and corresponding measurement, and propose future directions for research. We examined studies published between January 2011 and December 2023 that focused on the United States. There was little theoretical agreement across studies, with intergenerational solidarity's concept of familism being most prevalent. Terminology and conceptualization of care expectations varied. Most survey items or scales used broad definitions of care and/or family, focused solely on adult children, or had only one item available. Future research should include the development of family theories and more nuanced measures of expectations, specifically by caregiver role/relationship, for specific tasks, and/or the health conditions of older adults receiving care.