Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Changes in the mix of formal and informal home care used by noninstitutionalized elderly between 1975 and 1987 are examined. This period saw many changes in health care policies, an increase in female labor force participation, and changes in demographic characteristics of elders, all of which could be expected to influence the pattern of care used by elders. Using data from the 1975 General Accounting Office study in Cleveland, Ohio, and its 1987 follow-up, cohorts of young-olds (ages 65-76 years) and old-olds (ages 77-88 years) were compared for their use of formal and informal care. There were no increases in the proportion of people using home care, and there was no observable trend toward increased reliance on formal care. Differences did emerge in the mix of formal and informal services used. For the young-old cohort, more persons received formal nursing services and informal supervision services in 1987. The mix of services used by the old-old cohort revealed no observable period effects. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the social changes mentioned earlier.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alter, C. F. (1988). The changing structure of elderly service delivery systems. The Gerontologist , 28, 91-98.

Applebaum, R. , & Phillips, P. (1990). Assuring the quality of in-home care: The "other" challenge for long-term care. The Gerontologist , 30, 444-451.

Branch, L. , & Jette, A. (1983). Elders' use of informal long-term care assistance. The Gerontologist, 23, 51-56.

Cantor, M. , & Little, V (1985). Aging and social care. In R. Binstock & E. Shanas (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (pp. 745-781). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Chatters, L. M. , & Taylor, R. J. (1990). Social integration. In Z. Harel , E. A. McKinney , & M. W. Williams (Eds.), Black aged: Understanding diversity and service needs (pp. 82-99). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Doty, P. (1986). Family care of the elderly: The role of public policy. Milbank Quarterly , 64, 34-75.

Fillenbaum, G. G. (1988). Multidimensional functional assessment of older adults: The Duke Older American Resources and Services procedures. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Fischer, L. R. , & Eustis, N. N. (1988). DRGs and family care for the elderly: A case study. The Gerontologist, 28, 383-389.

Ford, A. B. , Haug, M. R. , Roy, A. W. , Jones, P. K. , & Folmar, S. J. (1992). New cohorts of urban elders: Are they in trouble? Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences , 47, S297-S303.

10.

Glenn, N. D. (1977). Cohort analysis (Sage University Paper series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, No. 5. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

11.

Greene, V L. (1983). Substitution between formally and informally provided care for impaired elderly. Medical Care, 21, 609-619.

12.

Horowitz, A. (1985). Family caregiving to the frail elderly. In C. Eisdorfer (Ed.), Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics (Vol. 5, pp. 194-246). New York: Springer .

13.

Litwak, E. (1985). Helping the elderly: The complementary roles of informal networks and formal systems . New York: Guilford.

14.

Liu, K. , Manton, K. , & Liu, B. M. (1986). Home care expenses for the disabled. Health Care Financing Review, 7, 33-49.

15.

McAuley, W. J. , & Arling, G. (1984). Use of in-home care by very old people, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 25, 54-64.

16.

Mindel, C. H. , Wright, R. , & Starrett, R. A. ( 1986). Informal and formal health and social support systems of Black and White elderly: A comparative cost approach, The Gerontologist, 26, 279-285.

17.

O'Hare, W. P. (1987). Black demographic trends in the 1980's. Milbank Quarterly, 65(1), 35-55.

18.

Ohio Department of Aging. (1989, June). Who will deliver the care? A study of the availability of home care paraprofessionals in Ohio. Columbus: Ohio Department of Aging.

19.

Oppenheimer, V K. (1981). The changing nature of life-cycle squeezes: Implications for the socioeconomic position of the elderly. In R. W. Fogel , E. Hatfield , S. B. Kiesler , & E. Shanas (Eds.), Aging: Stability and change in the family (pp. 47-81). New York: Academic Press.

20.

Palmore, E. (1978). When can age, period, and cohort be separated?, Social Forces, 57, 282-295.

21.

Soldo, B. J. (1981). The living arrangements of the elderly in the near future. In S. B. Kiesler , J. N. Morgan , & V K. Oppenheimer (Eds.), Aging: Social change. New York: Academic Press.

22.

Stoller, E. P. , & Earl, L. L. (1983). Help with activities of daily life: Sources of support for the non-institutionalized elderly. The Gerontologist, 23, 64-70.

23.

Stone, R. (1986). Aging in the eighties. Age 65 years and over: Use of community services. Preliminary data from the Supplement on Aging to the National Health Interview Survey, United States, January-June 1985. In National Center for Health Statistics, Advance Data (No. 124. Hyattsville, MD: Public Health Service.

24.

Stone, R. , Cafferata, G. L. , & Sangl, J. ( 1987). Caregivers of the frail elderly: A national profile. The Gerontologist, 27, 616-626.

25.

Treas, J. (1977). Family support systems for the aged: Some social and demographic considerations. The Gerontologist, 17, 466-491.

26.

Treas, J. (1981). Women's employment and its implications for the status of the elderly of the future. In S. B. Kiesler , J. N. Morgan , & V. K. Oppenheimer (Eds.), Aging: Social change. New York: Academic Press.

27.

Waldo, D. , Levit, K. , & Lazenby H. (1985). National health care expenditures, 1985. Health Care Financing Review, 8, 1-21.

Period Effects on the Mix of Formal and Informal In-Home Care Used by Urban Elderly

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References