Family relationships and informal care

This chapter explores the integral role that family and informal caregiving plays in supportingand enabling healthy ageing in Australia. Everyone has their own unique family background andexperiences, which provide the lens through which they view the world. These experiences andexpectations can also have a significant impact on the availability and provision of support toolder adults. As well as encouraging you to learn about the ways that family relationships canimpact ageing and informal care, this chapter also asks you to reflect on your own personal viewsand experiences openly and critically, as these can have important implications for your practicewith older adults, their families and caregivers. This chapter draws on many of the other chaptersin this book, as we explore the impact of demographic shifts, social policy, ageing in a rural area,cultural diversities and other diversities on families and informal care. Developing anunderstanding of family context will provide a good foundation for future practice with olderadults and their caregivers.