This survey analyses the scope and intensity of informal care for the elderly residing in their homes in Slovenia and their determinants: the residing municipality of the care recipient, geographical distance between the informal carer and the care recipient, to the care recipients' and the care givers' individual characteristics. With the increasing private out-of-pocket financial contribution, which is determined by municipality, the scope and intensity of informal care shows a significant increase as shown by regression analysis. Inter-municipal cooperation and the introduction of gradual private financial contribution are proposed as tools for improving accessibility of social home care in Slovenia.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 35060829Several theories explain gender differences in the provision of long-term care, which is most pronounced in filial care. The gender-role expectations and gender-role specialization framework posits that it is socially desirable for women to provide caregiving, but that they are also subject to more stress in doing so. Several studies have argued that a number of factors affect observed differences in caregivers’ gender, such as education, age, sibling network, family, and individual economic condition. Still, the question on the moderating influence of income and education to gender differences remains open with contradicting evidence. Our study analyses this relationship for two contrasting care regimes, supported familialism (Austria) and familialism by default (Slovenia). Although the gender differences between defamilialistic and familialistic regimes are well documented, the differences between countries belonging to varieties of familialism, i.e. familialism by default or supported familialism are under researched. Using novel semiparametric methodology we evidence large differences between the two countries which reflect the measures and general characteristics of the two care regimes and provide a detailed explanation.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1932942Care to frail older people can comprise a wide range of tasks addressing different needs, associated with different consequences in terms of care-giving burden or ability to conciliate informal care with paid work (Leitner, 2003; Bettio and Plantenga, 2004; Schulz and Sherwood, 2008, Saraceno, 2010). Understanding how different tasks are shared between formal and informal care could improve targeting of long-term care benefits and ensure an efficient and sustainable mix of care provision in the future. This is particularly relevant in a context of demographic ageing in which informal carers are being tasked with substituting or supplementing more expensive formal care services across Europe (Noelker and Bass, 1989, Litwin and Attias-Donfut, 2009, Prieto et al., 2011). In our article we contribute to the literature multifold. In theoretical terms, we develop a detailed analysis of the various task division models in a comparative perspective using a complementation model of task division which combines a model with a complete division of tasks between formal and informal carers (dual specialization, Litwak, 1985) with formal specialization (Noelker and Bass, 1989, Hlebec and Filipovič Hrast, 2016). In empirical terms, we verify two broader hypotheses: socio-economic gradient will be steeper in the context of familialism by default than in supported familialism; supported familialism is more conducive to a wider distribution of care within families and increasing gender equality. To verify the first one, we jointly model income and wealth, subject to collinearity problem (Sierminska et al., 2006, Jäntti et al., 2008, Sierminska et al., 2013). We control for the joint distribution between the two by extending the copula-based approach of Jäntti, Sierminska and Van Kerm (2015) to nonparametric setting (their approach is based on parametric assumptions, based on Singh-Maddala model, which they acknowledge has distributional problems). We present results of three broad modellings, using multinomial models, copula based regressions and new approach based on local linear approximations. The models allow us to estimate causal effects of income and wealth variables (jointly) on different types of long term care provision. We consider also Bayesian extensions. We use cross-sectional dataset of SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) in Wave 6, for two selected countries, Austria and Slovenia, with two contrasting care regimes – supported familialism and familialism by default. Our results show the socioeconomic gradient is clearly differentiated between the two countries only in some categories of the complementation model. Bequest can act as a powerful motivation for informal care provision, but the differentiated role of wealth in explaining use of informal care only between the two countries may reflect dissimilar patterns of living arrangements in old-age. Intergenerational co-habitation is known to be concentrated among the wealthier and this type of living arrangement is far more predominant in Slovenia. The article brings an extended theoretical model of care tasks provision and its verification in empirical settings, extending previous analyses. Novel joint modelling of income and wealth has important consequences and applications for research in health economics and economics (and social sciences) in general in future.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1935502This study addresses links between type of governance of formal care for older people ageing in place with subjective evaluation of access to these services. It brings empirical evidence to hypothesized problematic issues, such as equity, efficiency and quality of home care provision. We analyze individual and contextual determinants of subjective perceptions of access to social home care. Among four of five theoretically defined dimensions of access, the affordability has the largest amount of explained variability. Need for care, together with income and amount of private out-of-pocket contribution to cost of care are among the most important predictors of access.
F.12 Improvements to an existing service
COBISS.SI-ID: 54427395Background: As in many other European countries, informal care of older people is the most prevalent form of care in Slovenia (Health at a Glance 2013:181). Research shows that intensive care is associated with a higher level of health issues for family carers, varying from low general health, to a high level of depressive symptoms or restrictions in activities (Bookwala et al., 2004; Lamura et al., 2008; Jacobs et al., 2014). The purpose of this study is to evaluate health related quality of life of family carers of old people receiving mixed care (both informal and formal) in Slovenia. Methods: The data from the first Slovenian national survey of social homecare (SHC) users and their informal carers was used. 1151 informal carers of users of SHC participated in the survey. Health related quality of life was measured using 18 questions indicating various issues ranging from pain in the lower back to depression. Two Likert indexes were calculated and used as dependent variables. Findings: Multivariate linear regression (OLS) showed that only education of carer (+), perception of family income (+) and care burden (-) had similar effects on two components of health. Being male (+) and older (-) impacted on physiological issues, while geographical distance between caregiver and old person had strong positive influence on psychological wellbeing. Discussion: While co-residing with dependent old parent is a frequent form of care in Slovenia, it has negative effects on caregivers’ psychological health. Respite services should be developed for co-residing carers.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 35187293