Siblings Building Reciprocity through Social Capital in Later Life

2012

Siblings play an expanding role in informal support for aging persons with I/DD as parents are unable to provide care. It is also likely that people with I/DD will need stronger connections to the community for support. The present study examines how adults with I/DD and their siblings access and use Social Capital to support each other as they age. It explores a) how siblings build and use Social Capital and b) how they use connections in the community to accomplish goals that promote life participation and inclusion. Findings in this study suggest that siblings build reciprocity through the co-creation of Social Capital in their families and nondisabled siblings mobilize their Social Capital to provide support to their sibling.

sibling, aging, social capital

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals submitted

Consumers/Families, Professionals, Policymakers

N/A