The Demands of Persons with Disabilities for Home Health Care and the Economic Consequences for Informal Caregivers

Objective. This study uses data from the 1989 National Long Term Health Care Survey to examine how home health services use among 4,463 older persons affects the long-term monetary and human-capital resources of their caregivers. Methods. The study first estimates demands of older persons with disab...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science quarterly 1997-12, Vol.78 (4), p.955-972
Main Author: White-Means, Shelley I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Age groups
Assets
Caregivers
Carers
Disabilities
Disabled elderly people
Disabled persons
Economic Conditions
Economic status
Economics
Education
Factors
Family size
Geographic location
Health Care
Health insurance
Health services
Home care services
Home health care
Homeowners insurance
Human resources
Income
Medicare
National surveys
Of General Interest
Older adults
Polls & surveys
Public Policy
Social work
Sociology
Sociology of health and medicine
United States
USA
Workforce
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective. This study uses data from the 1989 National Long Term Health Care Survey to examine how home health services use among 4,463 older persons affects the long-term monetary and human-capital resources of their caregivers. Methods. The study first estimates demands of older persons with disabilities for home health services. Then a bivariate probit model estimates the caregivers' decisions to accommodate their labor force activities and deplete their health. Results. Income status of 150 to 250 percent of poverty, residence in the South, and large family networks decrease the likelihood of home health services use. State-financed insurance, greater activity limitations, age, and education increase use of home health. Use of formal in-home care decreases human-capital resources (health) of caregivers. Older persons' use of formal home health care does not affect long-term monetary resources (earned in the labor market). Rather, having a backup caregiver and living with an older person with disabilities are more influential in preserving the caregiver's monetary resources. Conclusions. Older persons have not solely borne the long-term implications of changes in health care financing; implications also exist for caregivers. Thus, when financing restricts use of home health services, caregivers' health may decline prematurely.
ISSN:0038-4941
1540-6237