Economics of the Iceberg: Informal Care Provided to French Elderly with Dementia

• Published in: Value in health 2015-06, Vol.18 (4), p.368-375
• Main Authors: Paraponaris, Alain, PhD, Davin, Bérengère, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ADL; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Caregivers - economics; Caregivers - standards; cost; count models; dementia; Dementia - economics; Dementia - epidemiology; Dementia - therapy; Economics and Finance; Female; France - epidemiology; Health Surveys - methods; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; IADL; informal care; Internal Medicine; Male; need for care; opportunity cost method; Patient Care - economics; Patient Care - methods; Patient Care - standards; propensity score matching; proxy good method
• ISSN: 1098-3015; 1524-4733
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2015.01.002

Abstract Objectives Dementia has a substantial effect on patients and their relatives, who have to cope with medical, social, and economic changes. In France, most elderly people with dementia live in the community and receive informal care, which has not been well characterized. Methods Using a sample of 4680 people aged 75 years and older collected in 2008 through a national comprehensive survey on health and disability, we compared the economic value of the care received by 513 elderly people with dementia to that received by a propensity score– matched set of older people without dementia. Results More than 85% of elderly people with dementia receive informal care; the estimation of its economic value ranges from €4.9 billion (proxy good method) to €6.7 billion (opportunity cost method) per year. Conclusions The informal care provided to people with dementia has substantial annual costs; further work should be done to examine the social and economic roles foregone as a result of this care.