Mario Paquet. Les Professionnels et les familles dans le soutien aux personnes âgées dépendantes. Montréal, QC: Harmattan, 2000.

Abstract

This book is based on a doctoral thesis (itself comprised of four published articles and a conclusion) defended by Mario Paquet in 1998. The subject is the reluctance (réticence) of caregivers to use formal support services. The value of this book lies in its elucidating the challenge faced by professionals as they try to comprehend family dynamics from the standpoint of caregivers rather than from their own institutional perspective. Despite this positive contribution, the book has two major limitations. The first concerns the methodology chosen for examining family dynamics. Although the author situates himself within the paradigm of the actor and a constructivist epistemology, for less than convincing reasons, the majority of the data is derived from interviews with key informants (e.g., professionals) rather than with caregivers themselves. The author is thus compelled to discern the logic of one actor vis-à-vis another from the perspective of the latter. The second reservation pertains to use of the term ‘réticence’ to describe the hesitancy of caregivers to use formal services. To conceptualize non-use as réticence, which must be overcome to prevent caregiver burnout, reflects the perspective of professional service providers. This book may be of interest to newcomers to the field of caregiving but of less interest to those familiar with the literature in this area.