The Sociological Stakes of Attitudes Toward the Families and Care of Older Adults With Dementia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12134596 |
|---|---|
| Authors | E Patterson (0000-0002-5040-7576, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Kelsi Caywood (0000-0002-9522-794X, University of Michigan), Faith Stinson (University of Michigan) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Forum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0884-8971 • E-ISSN: 1573-7861 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/socf.70067 |
| PMID | 42099528 |
| OpenAlex | W7147552299 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 58 |
This Forum essay calls for greater sociological attention to the theoretical and empirical study of attitudes about the families and care of older adults living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD; dementia). Investigating these attitudes can help expand our understanding not only of the social experience of older adults with dementia but also of family members and caregivers, as dementia is often highly stigmatized, memory loss changes relationships, and relationship dynamics influence care provision and inequalities. Attitudes and norms function at multiple levels—individual, family, and societal—and have large‐scale consequences for social systems and inequality in an aging and increasingly diverse United States, where a growing number of older adults have dementia and family caregiving is normative. We briefly highlight demographic trends and interdisciplinary developments that underscore the urgency and advantages of addressing these attitudes in sociology specifically. We conclude with a call to action and recommendations for scholars seeking to pursue related research within four relevant subfields within sociology: aging in the life course, stratification (race, gender, class), families, and medical sociology
Dementia · Disease · Empirical research · Family caregivers · Inequality · Life course approach · Sociological research · Aging and Gerontology Research · Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
The Disproportionate Impact Of Dementia On Family And Unpaid Caregiving To Older Adults
Emotion Work and Spousal Dementia Caregiving
Recommendations for Advancing Research With Sexual and Gender Minority Older Adults
Who Counts as Family Later in Life? Following Theoretical Leads
Expectations for Families to Care for Older Adults in the United States
The Impact of Changes in Population Health and Mortality on Future Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias in the United States
Marianismo and Caregiving Role Beliefs Among U.S.-Born and Immigrant Mexican Women
Getting Unstuck
Towards a Theory of Dementia Care
Family obligations and support behaviour
Dementia in a socio-cultural context
Dementism
Producing the public caregiver
Maintaining Social Connections in Dementia
The Intersection of Racial and Gender Attitudes, 1977 through 2018
Cognitive Citizenship
Kinscripts
Towards a Sociology of Attitudes
Dementia as Zeitgeist
Missing Pieces
Separating Spheres? Diverging Trends in Youth's Gender Attitudes About Work and Family
Bringing Family Demography Back In
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |