scholarly journals Receipt of informal care in the Chinese older population

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 766-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
BO HU ◽  
SAI MA
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Financial Assistance ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Urban Residence

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the factors affecting the receipt of informal care among older people in China. It uses the second wave data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey, which collected ageing and health-related information on a nationally representative sample of 8,906 older people aged 60 and over in 2013. Apart from the factors that have been examined in the contexts of developed countries, the paper further investigates two factors specific to Chinese society: rural–urban residence and regular financial assistance from children. Based on binary and multinomial logit regression analyses, the research findings are threefold: the determinants of receiving informal care differ remarkably according to the sources of care; disability and living arrangements are the most important determinants; rural–urban residence plays a vital role in the Chinese context, but regular financial assistance from children makes little difference. It is estimated that 53 million older people are receiving informal care each year, a figure equivalent to the entire population of England. With continuous population ageing, Chinese society will face huge pressure to meet the demand for social care among older people in the future. The Chinese government needs to build a well-rounded welfare system that tackles this challenge from multiple dimensions. The formal care services should aim to complement informal care in the short run and reduce inequality in social care in the long run.

scholarly journals Do direct payments improve outcomes for older people who receive social care? Differences in outcome between people aged 75+ who have a managed personal budget or a direct payment

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 961-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN WOOLHAM ◽  
GUY DALY ◽  
TIM SPARKS ◽  
KATRINA RITTERS ◽  
NICOLE STEILS
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Postal Questionnaire ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Direct Payment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Direct Payments

ABSTRACTDirect payments – cash for people eligible for adult social care and spent by them on care and support – are claimed to enable care to better reflect user preferences and goals which improve outcomes. This paper compares outcomes of older direct payment users and those receiving care via a managed personal budget (where the budget is spent on the recipients behalf by a third party). The study adopted a retrospective, comparative design using a postal questionnaire in three English councils with adult social care responsibilities in 2012–13. Included in the study were 1,341 budget users aged 75+, living in ordinary community settings. The overall response rate was 27.1 per cent (339 respondents). Three validated scales measured outcomes: EQ-5D-3L (health status), the Sheldon–Cohen Perceived Stress Scale and the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (social care-related quality of life). The study found that direct payment users appreciated the control conferred by budget ownership, but in practice, for many it did not ‘translate’ into improved living arrangements. It also found no statistically significant difference in outcomes between direct payment and managed personal budget users. The paper argues that despite policy and other guidance and research evidence about effective implementation of direct payments for older people, the absence of evidence for better outcomes may at least in part be attributable to values underpinning policies relating to personalisation and personal budgets.

The reform of the National Matriculation English Test and its impact on the future of English in China

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhai Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Further Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Chain Reactions ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

With more and more importance being attached to English since China's economic reform and opening up to the outside world in the late 1970s, the entire Chinese society has placed such high importance to the learning of English that at times it even plays a vital role for a person who plans to pursue further education and seek a better career (China Daily, 5 August, 2010). However, the end of 2013 saw an ‘unanticipated’ reform of policy on the National Matriculation English Test (henceforth, NMET) instituted by the Chinese Ministry of Education (henceforth, MOE). It was ‘unanticipated’ because in the past few years the Chinese government has invested heavily in English language teaching. As reported by ABC News (15 November, 2010), ‘China is pushing its people to learn English’, and English has thus occupied a prominent place in the life of the Chinese people because it is the ‘key’ to success (Chen, 2008: 16-37). According to this new policy, the once favorite ‘son’, i.e. English, may lose its predominance in the Chinese foreign language landscape and its importance may be diminished in exams. These changes are likely to cause a series of chain reactions since the dominant position of English largely lies in its weight in various levels of exams, with the NMET having the greatest impact. Given the determining factor of the NMET in Chinese people's attitudes towards English, NMET reform would almost undoubtedly change the current situation of English in China and it would be no exaggeration to say that it will have a foreseeable impact on various aspects of Chinese social life as well. In this article, I briefly review the causes for the ‘focus shift’ and attempt an analysis of the impact of the role of English in China in the future.

scholarly journals Modernising social care services for older people: scoping the United Kingdom evidence base

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
SALLY JACOBS ◽  
CHENGQIU XIE ◽  
SIOBHAN REILLY ◽  
JANE HUGHES ◽  
DAVID CHALLIS
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Care For Older People

ABSTRACTIn common with other developed countries at the end of the 20th century, modernising public services was a priority of the United Kingdom (UK) Labour administration after its election in 1997. The modernisation reforms in health and social care exemplified their approach to public policy. The authors were commissioned to examine the evidence base for the modernisation of social care services for older people, and for this purpose conducted a systematic review of the relevant peer-reviewed UK research literature published from 1990 to 2001. Publications that reported descriptive, analytical, evaluative, quantitative and qualitative studies were identified and critically appraised under six key themes of modernisation: integration, independence, consistency, support for carers, meeting individuals' needs, and the workforce. This paper lists the principal features of each study, provides an overview of the literature, and presents substantive findings relating to three of the modernisation themes (integration, independence and individuals' needs). The account provides a systematic portrayal both of the state of social care for older people prior to the modernisation process and of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base. It suggests that, for evidence-based practice and policy to become a reality in social care for older people, there is a general need for higher quality studies in this area.

scholarly journals Does Receiving Informal Care Lead to Better Health Outcomes? Evidence From China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. 016402752110528
Author(s):  
Yixiao Wang ◽  
Wei Yang
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Healthy Longevity

Population aging has become a global challenge. Drawing data from Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey 2008, 2011, and 2014, this study examines the effect of informal care receipt on functional limitations and depressive symptoms among older people in China using lagged fixed effects model. Our findings suggest that receiving informal care is significantly associated with a slower functional decline. We also find that this effect varies across different income groups. The protective effect of informal care is more pronounced among older people with higher income compared to those with lower income. We do not observe any significant associations between receiving informal care and depressive symptoms of older people. This study highlights a pressing need for the Chinese government to establish a comprehensive long-term care system.

THE IMPACT OF LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF OLDER PEOPLE ON INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFERS FROM THEIR ADULT CHILDREN IN CHINA

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
QINGYUAN XUE ◽  
NOPPHOL WITVORAPONG
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Intergenerational Transfers ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Monetary Transfers ◽  
Social Security Reforms ◽  
The Impact

Based on three waves of the nationally representative survey conducted in 2005, 2008-2009, and 2011-2012, this study investigates the effect of living arrangements on intergenerational transfers in China. Outcomes of interest include monetary transfers, contact, informal care, and emotional support that adult children provide to older parents. Both actual living arrangements and the discrepancy between actual and preferred living arrangements are considered. Endogeneity bias is accounted for through fixed-effects instrumental-variable regression modeling. It is found that co-residence serves as a substitute for monetary transfers and is positively associated with the probability that parents would receive contact, informal care and emotional support from adult children. Living alone with children in the same city is positively associated with the receipt of monetary transfers and contact by older parents but is not statistically related to the other two outcomes. There is an expressed desire for independent living among older people, which impacts transfer behaviors in a complex manner. This study provides a better understanding of the role of the family amidst ongoing social security reforms in China.

scholarly journals Mapping the Future of Family Care: Receipt of Informal Care by Older People with Disabilities in England to 2032

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Pickard ◽  
Raphael Wittenberg ◽  
Adelina Comas-Herrera ◽  
Derek King ◽  
Juliette Malley
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Family Care ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Term Care ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Supply ◽  
Care Systems

Many long-term care systems in economically developed countries are reliant on informal care. However, in the context of population ageing, there are concerns about the future supply of informal care. This article reports on projections of informal care receipt by older people with disabilities from spouses and (adult) children to 2032 in England. The projections show that the proportions of older people with disabilities who have a child will fall by 2032 and that the extent of informal care in future may be lower than previously estimated. The policy implications, in the context of the Dilnot Commission's report, are explored.

scholarly journals Impact of Informal Care on Health Care Utilization Among Older People in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 334-334
Author(s):  
Yixiao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Inpatient Care ◽  
Health Care Expenditures ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Population aging has become a challenge to long-term care and health care for the society. Using China as a case study, this paper assesses allocative efficiency of resources in informal care and health care, to explore the effectiveness of the policy, i.e., encouraging informal care as a more cost-effective way to reduce public health care spending. Drawing data from the 2011, 2014, and 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, this study examines the impact of informal care on utilization of health care as well as amount of health care expenditures among older people with functional limitations in China. Using random effects model with instrumental variable approach, our findings suggest that informal care significantly reduces the utilization of health care, primarily by reducing the utilization of outpatient care. However, informal care significantly increases the amount of inpatient care expenditures for inpatient care users. We do not observe significant association between informal care and amount of outpatient care expenditures for outpatient care users. This study highlights a pressing need for the Chinese government to support informal caregivers by taking economic values of informal caregiving into consideration, and to improve efficiency in inpatient care by a more integrated resource allocation mechanism

scholarly journals Models of healthcare for older people

2017 ◽  
pp. 143-152
Author(s):  
Kaisu Pitkala ◽  
John Gladman ◽  
Martin Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Older Users ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Chronic Health Problems

Older people are major users of health and social care in many developed countries, and so all health and social care systems in such countries need to be fit for older users such as those with deafness, blindness, or dementia. Despite this, specific services for older people with the most complex or challenging problems have developed. These models of healthcare for older people are diverse. They can deal with both acute and chronic health problems including rehabilitation. They can be provided in or across community, long-stay, and hospital settings, and often involve a wide range of professionals. They have developed in different ways in different countries. This chapter describes specific models of older people’s care, and outlines the role of geriatricians and other professionals in the models.

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