2012年-CEPS欧洲政策研究中心_The_Supply_of_Informal_Care_in_Europe_42页_227kb

Summary of "The Supply of Informal Care in Europe"

Core Content

This report, part of the ANCIEN project, analyzes the supply of informal care in Europe, focusing on the role of family and friends in providing support for older people's daily living activities (ADLs). It uses data from the 2007 Eurobarometer survey, which includes all ANCIEN countries, to assess how informal care provision varies across European countries and how this variation is influenced by socio-demographic factors and long-term care systems.

Key Findings

• Informal care is vital in Europe, with the majority of older people receiving most of their support from informal caregivers, primarily family or friends.

• The supply of informal care varies significantly across European countries.

• The ANCIENT study classifies EU member states into four clusters based on their long-term care systems:

  • Cluster 1: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, and Slovakia
  • Cluster 2: Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden
  • Cluster 3: Spain, France, Austria, Slovenia, Finland, and the UK
  • Cluster 4: Italy, Hungary, and Poland
  • Representative countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland

• Cluster 2 is characterized by low informal care use, while the other three clusters show high informal care use.

• The Netherlands (representing Cluster 2) has the lowest rates of informal help with ADLs compared to the other representative countries (Germany, Spain, and Poland).

• The report emphasizes that informal care provision is not only influenced by socio-demographic factors (such as gender, age, marital status, and education) but also by national long-term care systems.

• Multivariate analysis shows that differences in care provision persist even after controlling for socio-demographic variables, highlighting the systemic differences in informal care supply across countries.

Methodology

• The Eurobarometer 67.3 survey, conducted between May 25th and June 30th, 2007, collected data from 28,660 Europeans aged 15 and over, across all 27 EU member states and two candidate countries (Croatia and Turkey).
• The survey includes weighted data to reflect the population size of EU member states.
• Informal care is defined as help with one or more ADLs (bathing, dressing, feeding, using the toilet), and help with two or more ADLs.
• The analysis includes bivariate and multivariate techniques, controlling for key socio-demographic variables: age, gender, marital status, and education.
• The report also includes a re-analysis of data for the Czech Republic and Italy, which are considered as alternative representative countries.

Socio-Demographic Factors

• Gender: Women are more likely to provide informal care than men.
• Age: Older individuals are more likely to provide informal care.
• Marital status: Those who are married or cohabiting are more likely to provide informal care.
• Education: Individuals with lower levels of education are more likely to provide informal care.

Limitations and Considerations

• The Eurobarometer data includes both current and past informal care provision, which may affect the interpretation of results.
• The UK comparison shows that the Eurobarometer data reports higher informal care rates than national survey data, likely due to its inclusion of past care experiences.
• Employment status, health, and housing tenure were considered as potential factors but were excluded from the analysis due to data and methodological limitations.
• The focus on ADLs is justified as it reflects the definition of disability used in the project and captures more intense forms of care.

Conclusion and Implications

• The main conclusion is that informal care provision differs between European countries not only due to socio-demographic composition but also due to differences in long-term care systems.
• The report suggests that systemic differences in long-term care have a significant impact on the supply of informal care.
• These findings have implications for future research, particularly in the modelling of informal care supply, and the SHARE data analysis included in the appendix provides additional insights into informal care patterns across Europe.

Tables and Figures

• Tables:

  • Table 1 and 2: Informal care with one or more and two or more ADLs by socio-demographic characteristics across ANCIEN clusters.
  • Table 3 and 4: Informal care with one or more and two or more ADLs by socio-demographic characteristics across ANCIEN representative countries.
  • Table 5 and 6: Odds ratios and significance levels from logistic regression models for informal care provision by ANCIEN representative countries and socio-demographic factors.

• Figures:

  • Figure 1 and 2: Show the percentage of respondents providing informal help with specific ADLs by ANCIEN clusters and representative countries.
  • Figures 3 to 10: Present informal care provision by socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, education) across ANCIEN representative countries.
  • Figures 11 and 12: Show the percentage of the population with difficulty in carrying out one or more ADLs and two or more ADLs across ANCIEN clusters and representative countries.
  • Figures B.1 and B.2: Present data on the percentage of people with ADL limitations and informal caregivers, based on SHARE data.

Authors and Funding

• Author: Linda Pickard (London School of Economics and Political Science)
• Appendix authors: Sergi Jiménez-Martin, Raquel Vegas Sánchez, and Cristina Vilaplana Prieto (FEDEA)
• Funded by: European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme (FP 7 Health-2007-3.2.2, Grant no. 223483)

Key Viewpoints

• Informal care is central to long-term care in Europe, but its supply is uncertain due to demographic and social changes.
• Informal care use is lower in Cluster 2 (Netherlands) compared to other clusters, indicating a more formalized long-term care system.
• Multivariate analysis confirms that systemic differences in long-term care systems significantly affect informal care provision.
• The report's methodology is robust, using weighted data and logistic regression models to explore the relationship between socio-demographic factors and informal care supply.

Final Remarks

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of informal care in Europe, using both Eurobarometer and SHARE data, and highlights the importance of considering both individual and systemic factors when examining care supply. It serves as a foundation for further research into the future of long-term care in Europe.