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curious about the guys out there caring for the elderly. i believe that women are generally more emotionally nurturing but i think men often have problem solving skills that can make an elder feel safe and protected. i know male carers are a rising number and gender doesnt for one minute change the challenges we deal with.

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i guess im referring to family member caregivers carol. my mother has hospice assistance in our home too and theyr'e all , male or female , very proficient and professionally trained. heres one of the interesting things ive found in my own experience and by reading the concerns of other male caregivers. if a single/ divorced man lives in his mothers home hes often viewed as a no good parasite but if a female family member lives in, even accepting payment for her services, shes viewed as a heaven sent angel. its these conclusions that outside observers leap to that i feel need brought into the light. ive endured a few snide remarks from hospice women over the last few months. one implied that i would be incapable of , well, wiping my mothers ass if her condition worstens. i assured her that i possessed at least enough skill to pull that off. she treats me pretty well now but we had to get her gender stereotyping behind us..
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Are you referring to family caregivers or caregiver employees or both? My 76 year old Dad has a male caregiver on weekdays and a male caregiver who comes in every other weekend. It's Dad who treats his male and female caregivers differently at times. Unfortunately he is sometimes flirtatious with the women and combative with the men.

It's interesting to think about the similarities and differences between female and male caregivers though. With family caregivers, there's more females because women are socialized to be nurturers. Men are socialized to be the hero and fix problems - heavy burden to bear.

With our paid caregivers, I don't see much of a difference in the way men compared to women carry out their duties. I'd be interested in reading what everybody else's experiences have been.
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