Cessation of Care for Frail Older Adults: Physical, Psychological and Economic Outcomes for Family Carers

Aviad Tur-Sinai, Dafna Halperin, Nissim Ben David, Ariela Lowenstein and Ruth Katz
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Dafna Halperin: Department of Health Systems Management, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley 1930600, Israel
Ariela Lowenstein: Department of Gerontology, Head Social Gerontology, Center for Research and Study of Aging, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Ruth Katz: Department of Human Services, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley 1930600, Israel

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Global population aging and increased longevity are making family care a nearly universal experience. Caregiving is a dynamic process that varies over time and in intensity but often takes a physical and emotional toll on carers and may inflict financial costs by attenuating their labor market participation. The study explores the implications of the ‘cessation of care’ of frail elders by adult (middle-aged and older) kin by comparing two ethnic groups in Israel with respect to their health and their psychological and economic life. Using secondary data analyses based on SHARE-Israel data for persons aged 50+, it is found that subjective health assessment and financial capability are significantly higher among those who stop providing care than among those who continue to do so, while carers report a downturn in life satisfaction after they stop giving care. Those who continue are younger than the others, and their labor force participation rate is higher. Significant implications of cessation of care for all three areas studied—psychological, health, and economic—are found as well: the subjective rating of health and financial capability improve whereas life satisfaction decreases. Furthermore, a cessation of care moderates the relation between individuals’ age and their self-rated health, which is better among those who continue to provide care. These results emphasize and deepen our understanding of the cessation-of-care phase as a key component of the process of care for frail older adults by family members.

Keywords: informal care; cessation of care; family care outcomes; SHARE (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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