Family Adaptation to Chronic Illness in a Society in Transition: The Rural Arab Community in Israel

The study illuminates the unique cultural context for caregiving in a society in transition—the rural Arab community in Israel. The 10 families in the study were forced to adapt to a stressful situation—the chronic illness of an elderly homebound parent. The advent of the illness, family resources, modes of reactions, and family adaptation were explored through semi-structured interviews of four members of each family: the ill elder, his or her spouse (the primary caregiver), and two secondary caregivers, usually a son and daughter-in-law. These data indicate that household arrangements, type of community, and perceived support were the main resources. Perceptions of the illness, patterns of decision-making, modes of interaction and caregiver adaptation were the main themes that emerged. Four styles of family interaction were identified: “unilateral decision,” “Rashomon,” “working machine,” and “roundtable.”