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Sociocultural insights on dementia care-giving in Arab and Muslim communities: the perspectives of family care-givers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2022

Suzanne H. Hammad Open the ORCID record for Suzanne H. Hammad [Opens in a new window] ,
Suhad Daher-Nashif ,
Tanya Kane  and
Noor Al-Wattary
Suzanne H. Hammad*
Affiliation:
Liberal Arts Program, Northwestern University Qatar, Doha, Qatar Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Suhad Daher-Nashif
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Tanya Kane
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Noor Al-Wattary
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
*
*Corresponding author. Email: suzanne.hammad@northwestern.edu
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Abstract

Little is known about the experiences of informal family care-giving for persons with ADRD in the context of Arab and Muslim communities. This paper offers fresh insight into the less-studied private sphere of the home, showing how families respond to the onset and long-term care of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). It considers the extent to which sociocultural and religious influences are appropriated by family care-givers as coping mechanisms and motivators for care. Drawing upon interviews with 32 family care-givers for older persons living with ADRD in Qatar, findings reveal the intersectionality of the care-giving experience with various sociocultural, religious and emotional influences through seven emergent themes: (a) reasons and motivations for care-giving; (b) role of the extended family; (c) socio-demographic attributes of care-givers, their allocated responsibilities and how these intersect; (d) socio-religious attitudes towards care-giving of older persons; (e) social stigma; (f) personal knowledge of ADRD; and (g) coping mechanisms. The paper is concluded with key implications of these sociocultural insights for theory, policy and practice, which could inform Qatar's health and social care provision sector as well as other Arab and Muslim communities that share similar cultural and religious belief systems.

Keywords

dementiacopingolder personssocioculturalfamily care-giversArab Islamic communitiesAlzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD)

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Type
Article
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Ageing & Society , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , February 2024 , pp. 357 - 384
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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