Caregiving for Community-Dwelling Older Persons in South Korea: Current Formal and Informal Care Use and Expectation

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunja Park ◽  
Namsoon Kim ◽  
Van M. Ta Park ◽  
YongJoo Rhee

The aim of this study is to examine formal and informal care use among community-dwelling older Korean adults. Older adults aged between 65 and 85 ( N = 516) in mid-size city, selected using the probability proportional sampling method, were interviewed in person. One third reported having at least one caregiver. Compared to respondents who did not use any informal/formal care, those who used any formal or informal care were older and were more likely to be prefrail or frail and experienced at least one hospitalization or emergency department use in the past year. Living alone or being experienced with any hospitalization was associated with formal care use. Most care recipients received informal care from families, specifically spouses. Among participants who received no formal/informal care, 19% of them expected to receive formal care support in the future. Substantial support programs for informal caregivers are needed to address the increase in demand and expectation for long-term care.

Author(s):  
Huimin Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyi Zhang ◽  
Youhua Zhao ◽  
Jianfeng Huang ◽  
Wenwei Liu

The impact of formal care (co-paid by long term care (LTC) insurance) on informal care is critical to the improvement and promotion of public policy. We conducted an interview-based survey to examine how the use of formal care impacts the use of informal care in Shanghai, which was one of China’s first long-term insurance pilots in 2016. In addition to total informal care time, the following four types of informal care were considered: (1) household activities of daily living (HDL) tasks, (2) activities of daily living (ADL) tasks, (3) instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) tasks, and (4) supervision tasks. Of the 407 families, an average of 12.36 h (SD = 6.70) of informal care was crowded out each week. Among them, ADL tasks, HDL tasks, and supervision tasks were reduced an average of 4.60 (SD = 3.59), 5.50 (SD = 3.38), and 2.10 h (SD = 3.06) per week, respectively. Each additional hour of formal care reduced 0.473 h of informal care. Care recipients’ gender and health status were also determined to be associated with crowding out hours of informal care. These findings can be utilized as empirical evidence for decision-makers to consider the scope of funding for formal care, and this study provides comparable results to developing countries and regions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 134-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Murphy ◽  
Thomas Turner

Purpose The undervaluing of care work, whether conducted informally or formally, has long been subject to debate. While much discussion, and indeed reform has centred on childcare, there is a growing need, particularly in countries with ageing populations, to examine how long-term care (LTC) work is valued. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the way in which employment policies (female labour market participation, retirement age, and precarious work) and social policies (care entitlements and benefits/leave for carers) affect both informal carers and formal care workers in a liberal welfare state with a rapidly ageing population. Design/methodology/approach Drawing the adult worker model the authors use the existing literature on ageing care and employment to examine the approach of a liberal welfare state to care work focusing on both supports for informal carers and job quality in the formal care sector. Findings The research suggests that employment policies advocating increased labour participation, delaying retirement and treating informal care as a form of welfare are at odds with LTC strategies which encourage informal care. Furthermore, the latter policy acts to devalue formal care roles in an economic sense and potentially discourages workers from entering the formal care sector. Originality/value To date research investigating the interplay between employment and LTC policies has focused on either informal or formal care workers. In combining both aspects, we view informal and formal care workers as complementary, interdependent agents in the care process. This underlines the need to develop social policy regarding care and employment which encompasses the needs of each group concurrently.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 84-85
Author(s):  
Rashmita Basu

Abstract Objectives: The current study aims to: 1) identify patterns of the use of long-term care services and supports (LTSS) among community-dwelling individuals; 2) examine if the changes in supply of formal care predict the use of informal care (IC). Methods: Linking the market supply of formal LTSS to individual level Health and Retirement Survey data from (N=7,781), descriptive and regression analysis were performed. Results: Supply of formal home and residential LTSS indicates a stronger upward trend. More than 90% of people used IC and 40% received both informal and formal help. People aged under 60 years, IC from spouse dominates but then falls sharply and an adult child becomes the primary source. More than 20% reported unmet needs. Regression analysis indicates that the formal home care supply significantly predicts the likelihood of using IC. But the rate and intensity of unpaid IC use among individuals aged 85 or older is low and that of paid formal care use are highest. We find that about 20% of care recipients experienced at least one unmet need with ADL assistance in our sample. The prevalence of an unmet need sharply decreases as individuals receive care from multiple caregivers (including paid professionals) but receiving care from too many caregivers contributes to higher unmet ADL needs. Discussion: The findings suggest opportunities to create a holistic system of care for people needing LTSS.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 1604-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIANNE JACOBS ◽  
THEO VAN TILBURG ◽  
PETER GROENEWEGEN ◽  
MARJOLEIN BROESE VAN GROENOU

ABSTRACTIn ageing societies, policy makers aim for more contact between informal and formal care-givers as it may enhance the quality of care. So far, the linkage between formal and informal care-givers is generally studied from a one-sided or a single dyadic perspective, without taking into account that care networks of community-dwelling older adults often exist of multiple informal and formal care-givers. The current study examines discussion of care between all potential informal–formal care-giver dyads in a care network, and relates this to characteristics of the older care recipient, the care network and the care-givers. Seventy-four Dutch older care recipients provided information on all care-givers who helped with five different types of tasks; 410 care-givers reported on the contact between all care-givers identified. Multi-level logistic regression was conducted in 2,150 informal–formal care-giver dyads and revealed that in 26 per cent of all these dyads discussion on care occurred. This was more likely when both care-givers performed multiple types of tasks, the informal care-giver was residing with the care recipient, and contact within the formal and the informal sub-network was higher. To enhance discussion of care between informal and formal care-givers in care networks where no discussion occurs at all, home-care organisations may need to allocate formal care-givers who form a bridge with an extra-residential care-giver of care recipients living alone.


2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mårten Lagergren ◽  
Noriko Kurube ◽  
Marti Parker

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