Family support for older people: determinants and consequences

This chapter examines key variables influencing demand for support provided by families and discusses the availability of familial support. The author also investigates the effects of support of various kinds on the well-being of older people and the policy implications of different patterns of support, with reference to inter-country differences. The analysis finds that families currently provide much of the necessary care for the elderly and despite large falls in the proportion of the elderly coresiding with their offspring, level of intergenerational exchange and support are still high. There are, however, uncertainties about the future, and parental divorce, higher levels of education and declining population are likely to increase such uncertainties. More positively, though, improvements in the health of older people as a whole may effectively expand the pool of potential helpers and are also likely to contribute to reducing the conflict between work and support currently experienced by some caregivers.