The effect of caring for older and disabled relatives on the employment, health and economic status of caregivers
Abstract
In Russia, as in most other countries, it is the relatives who bear the main burden of caring for the elderly and disabled. Based on the survey data “Comprehensive Observation of the Living Conditions of the Population”, the article analyses the effect of related care on the situation of caregivers. In particular, it has been shown that people of working age caring for relatives are less likely to have a job, more often work part-time or part-time, and are more likely to have a chronic illness and lower health self-assessment. Intensive care (more than 20 hours per week) increases the negative impact on employment and health self-assessment. Among people of working age who are providing intensive family care, the proportion of the poor and extremely poor is higher and the proportion of people with an average income of more than two subsistence levels is lower. This implies that a comprehensive system of measures aimed at supporting relatives providing care is needed - in particular, at preserving jobs, developing flexible forms of employment, expanding programs for temporary and day care, providing consulting support and organizing full-time and distance learning of caring skills.
Downloads
References
Attias-Donfut C., Ogg J., Wolff F. (2005). European patterns of intergenerational financial and time transfers. European Journal of Ageing, 2, 161-173. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-005-0008-7
Bauer M.J., Sousa-Poza A. (2015). Impacts of Informal Caregiving on Caregiver Employment, Health, and Family. Population Ageing, 8 (3), 113-145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-015-9116-0
Brodsky J., Habib J., Hirschfeld M. (Eds.). (2003). Key policy issues in long-term care. Geneva: WHO. URL: https://www.who.int/chp/knowledge/publications/policy_issues_ltc.pdf
Brown M.R., Brown L.S. (2014). Informal caregiving: A reappraisal of effects on caregivers. Social Issues and Policy Review, 8, 74–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12002
Carmichael F., Charles S. (1998). The labour market costs of community care. Journal of Health Economics, 17, 747–765. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-6296(97)00036-2
Carmichael F., Charles S. (2003). The Opportunity Costs of Informal Care: Does Gender Matter? Journal of Health Economics, 22 (5), 781-803. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-6296(03)00044-4
Carmichael F., Charles S., Hulme C. (2010). Who will care? Employment participation and willingness to supply informal care. Journal of Health Economics, 29, 182–190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2009.11.003
Coe N.B., van Houtven C.H. (2009). Caring for mom and neglecting yourself? The health effects of caring for an elderly parent. Journal of Health Economics, 18(9), 991-1010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.1512
Colombo F., Llena-Nozal A., Mercier J., Tjadens F. (2011). Help Wanted? Providing and Paying for Long-Term Care. OECD Health Policy Studies. Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264097759-en
Denham A.M.J., Wynne O., Baker A.L., Spratt N.J., Turner A., Magin P. et al. (2019) “This is our life now. Our new normal”: A qualitative study of the unmet needs of carers of stroke survivors. PLoS ONE, 14(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216682
Department of Health and Social Care, UK (2000). A National Strategy for Carers. URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-national-strategy-for-carers
Fevang E., Kverndokk S., Roed K. (2008). Informal care and labor supply. IZA Discussion Paper Series No. 3717. Bonn: IZA. URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp3717.pdf
Gérain P., Zech E. (2019). Informal Caregiver Burnout? Development of a Theoretical Framework to Understand the Impact of Caregiving. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1748. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01748
Greenwood N., Pound C., Brearley S., Smith R. (2019) A qualitative study of older informal carers’ experiences and perceptions of their caring role. Maturitas, 124, 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.03.006
Grundy E., Henretta J.C. (2006). Between elderly parents and adult children: a new look at the intergenerational care provided by the ‘sandwich generation. Ageing and Society, 26, 707-722. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X06004934
Heitmueller A., Inglis K. (2004). Carefree? Participation and pay differentials for informal carers in Britain. IZA Discussion Paper Series No. 1273. Bonn: IZA. URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp1273.pdf
Heitmueller, A. (2007). “The Chicken or the Egg? Endogeneity in Labour Market Participation of Informal Carers in England”. Journal of Health Economics, 26(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2006.10.005
Henwood M. (1998). Ignored and Invisible? Carers Experience of the NHS. London: Carers’ National Association.
Johnson R.W., Lo Sasso A.T. (2000). The Trade-Off between Hours of Paid Employment and Time Assistance to Elderly Parents at Mid-Life. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. URL: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/trade-between-hours-paid-employment-and-time-assistance-elderly-parents-midlife/view/full_report
Katz S., Ford A.B., Moskowitz R.W., Jackson B.A., Jaffe M.W. (1963). Studies of Illness in the Aged: The Index of ADL: A Standardized Measure of Biological and Psychosocial Function. JAMA, 185 (12), 914–919. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1963.03060120024016
Lane P., McKenna H., Ryan A. (2003). Fleming P. The Experience of the Family Caregivers' Role: A Qualitative Study. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 17(2), 137-151(15). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1891/rtnp.17.2.137.53173
Latif E. (2013). Labour supply effects of informal caregiving in Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 32, 413–429. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/Q533-8847-3785-1360
Li S., Song L., Feldman M.W. (2009). Intergenerational support and subjective health of older people in rural China: a gender-based longitudinal study. Australasian Journal of Ageing, 28(2), 81-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6612.2009.00364.x
McGarrigle Ch., Kenny R.A. (2013). Profile of the sandwich generation and intergenerational transfers in Ireland. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Dublin: Trinity College Dublin.
Neundorfer M.M. (1991). Family Caregiving of the Frail Elderly: Impact of Caregiving on their Health and Implications for Interventions. Community Health, 14, 48–58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00003727-199107000-00007
Niimi Y. (2016). The “Costs” of Informal Care: An Analysis of the Impact of Elderly Care on Caregivers’ Subjective Well-being in Japan. Review of Economics of the Household, 14, 779–810. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-016-9333-1
Rodrigues R., Schulmann K., Schmidt A., Kalavrezou N., Matsaganis M. (2013). The indirect costs of long-term care. Research note 8. European Commission. URL: https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=11780&langId=en Rosstat [Federal State Statistics Service] (2018).
Rabochaya sila, zanyatost’ i bezrabotitsa v Rossii – 2018 [Labor force, employment and unemployment in Russia - 2018] URL: https://gks.ru/bgd/regl/B18_61/Main.htm (data downloaded on 29.06.2020).
Rosstat [Federal State Statistics Service] (2008). Ekonomicheskaya aktivnost’ naseleniya Rossii - 2008 [Economic activity of the population of Russia] URL: https://gks.ru/bgd/regl/B08_61/Main.htm (data downloaded on 29.06.2020).
Schulz K. (2000). Handbook on Dementia Caregiving, Evidence-Based. Interventions for Family Caregivers. New York: Springer.
Schulz R. et al. (1995). Psychiatric and Physical Morbidity Effects of Dementia Caregiving: Prevalence, Correlates, and Causes. Gerontolgist, 35, 771–791. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/35.6.771
Schulz R., Sherwood P. (2008). Physical and mental health effects of family caregiving. Journal of American Nursing, 108, 23–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000336406.45248.4c
Toseland R.W., Smith G., McCallion P. (2001). Family Caregivers of the Frail Elderly. Prepared for the US Administration on Aging. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.
Van den Berg B., Fiebig D.G., Hall J. (2014). Well-being losses due to care-giving. Journal of Health Economics, 35, 123-131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.01.008
Van Houtven C.,Carmichael F., Jacobs J, Coyte P.C. (2020). The Economics of Informal Care. Oxford University Press USA.
Viitanen T.K. (2010). Informal eldercare across Europe: estimates from the European Community Household Panel. Economic Analysis and Policy, 40, 149–178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0313-5926(10)50023-7
