ATTITUDES TOWARD SERVICE USE AMONG WIFE CAREGIVERS OF FRAIL OLDER VETERANS

This study investigated (a) attitudes toward service use among wife ca regivers of frail older veterans; and (b) the relationship between tho se attitudes and service utilization by the wives. The study focused o n three sets of attitudinal variables: attitudes towards various kinds of dependencies; individual and family ethos concerning service use; and perceptions of responsibility for care. Respondents were 80 wife c aregivers of frail older (age 55+) veterans at a Department of Veteran s Affairs Medical Center in a Midwestern state. Most caregivers agreed that it is acceptable to get help with the physical care of the husba nd and to get help themselves for the emotional strains caused by care giving. Acceptability of a wife's getting help with the physical care of her husband was a positive predictor of number of services ever use d and frequency of in home service use. Wives' view that help from out side agencies should be used only as a last resort was the strongest a nd most consistent negative predictor of both number of services ever used and frequency of service use.