ELDER CARE AND LIVING ARRANGEMENTS IN 3 WESTERN NATIONS

Syracuse University, Syracuse NY

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Abstract

Family composition is a key component of well-being for the older population. Family members, especially spouses and children, are an important source of assistance with household tasks and activities of daily living. Social support provided by family members has been shown to be associated with improved health and longevity, while access to children or other family members serves both to delay entry into a nursing home and to hasten exit from a nursing home. This study will examine the demographic underpinnings of living and care arrangements of older people in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The research addresses questions concerning living arrangements-what percentage of older people live alone, with children or with others; how are living arrangements influenced by the availability of kin, as well as by other factors such as age, income, and disability status; and, do demographic factors influence entry into nursing homes-and questions concerning their receipt of care-what types of help do children provide their elderly parents; do elders living alone receive help from their children; and, does the availability of children reduce utilization of formal and other extrafamilial sources of assistance? Our research will use panel data from three sources: the German Socio-Economic Panel, the British Household Panel Survey, and the Asset and Health Dynamics of the Oldest-Old (AHEAD). In our panel data models, we will control for observed and unobserved factors influencing living and care arrangements using a framework that accounts for selective losses from the sample due to mortality and other factors. We will estimate the impacts of major policy changes enacted in the United Kingdom and Germany during the 1990s, and will control for policy variation within these countries as well.