Care for Older Adults with Disabilities: Paid vs. Family Care
Author Information
Author(s): Katherine Miller, Yang Yang, Jennifer Reckrey, Katherine Ornstein, Jennifer Wolff
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Hypothesis
Differences in how paid and family care intersect by rurality are not well understood in the years immediately prior to death.
Conclusion
Rural residents rely more on family caregivers compared to urban residents, especially in the years leading up to death.
Supporting Evidence
- 75% of the sample relied on consistently high family care.
- The share of family caregiving decreases as paid care increases.
- Rural residents have a greater reliance on family caregivers compared to urban residents.
Takeaway
Older adults with disabilities often get help from family, but those in cities are starting to use more paid help as they get closer to death.
Methodology
We used group-based multiple trajectory models to analyze care use in the five years prior to death, stratified by rurality.
Participant Demographics
Community-dwelling National Health and Aging Trends Study respondents living with functional or cognitive limitations, with 481 rural and 2068 urban participants.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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