Winner, 2020 Eileen Basker Memorial Prize, given by the Society for
Medical Anthropology
The troubling dynamic of the American home care industry where increased
independence for the elderly conflicts with the well being of
caregivers
Paid home care is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United
States, and millions of Americans rely on these workers to help them
remain at home as they grow older. However, the industry is rife with
contradictions. The United States spends a fortune on medical care, yet
devotes comparatively few resources on improving wages, thus placing
home care providers in the ranks of the working poor. As a result, the
work that enables some older Americans to live independently generates
profound social inequalities.
Inequalities of Aging explores the ways in which these inequalities play
out on the ground as workers, who are disproportionately women of color
and immigrants, earn poverty-level wages and often struggle to provide
for themselves and their families. The ethnographic narrative reveals
how two of the nation's most pressing concerns--rising social inequality
and caring for an aging population--intersect to transform the lives of
older adults, home care workers, and the world around them.
The book takes readers inside the homes and offices of people connected
to two Chicago area home care agencies serving low-income and affluent
older adults, respectively. Through intimate portrayals of daily life,
Elana D. Buch illustrates how diverse histories, care practices, and
social policies overlap and contribute to social inequality.
Illuminating the lived experience of both workers and their clients,
Inequalities of Aging shows the different ways in which the idea of
independence both connects and shapes the lives of the elderly and the
working poor.
