In countries with prevalent family care and less developed care services, it is important to understand the ways families cope with the care needs of their frail family members as part of policy learning to make care systems more sustainable. Filial care is a vital element of family care, yet is significantly restrained by the involvement of carers in the labour market; unequal gender distribution of the care burden; and insufficient recognition of, and policy support, for family care. This article considered the issue of the sustainability of elderly care in a familialist country, Slovenia, by identifying the coping strategies families adopt for the provision of care. To this end, in-depth qualitative databased on a purposeful sample of 55 community-resident users of social home care services and their 55 family carers were used. We identified five external coping strategies: use of formal care services, use of extended family network, use of wider community network, cohabitation, and home adjustments. Among internal strategies, we detected work-related adjustments; abandoning leisure activities; abandoning vacations; establishing new routines; accepting and finding satisfaction in care; increased psychological distress, such as worries and overburdening; and some unmet care recipient needs. Very few strategies may be described as supported by policy actions, despite such support being essential for increasing the sustainability of the family-based care model.
COBISS.SI-ID: 33006595
Although adult children are the most feminised group of family carers, and care of the aged parents remains the area of the most tenacious gendered divison of labour, the problem of gender inequality in the care for parents has not been seriously foregrounded both in the studies in gender equality and family care as well as in social policies. Based on data from the representative study on the users of social in-home care and their family carers the article examines gender structure of family carers in Slovenia. The findings show that daughters care for parents regardless of diverse circumstances, while the sons mainly engage in it, when living in common household with their parents, and depending on the level of resources with which they dispose (lower education, lower income). Moreover, gender differences are also obvious in the intensity of help offered with the Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental. Activities of Daily Living with daughters carrying out both kinds of care more intensely than sons. Empirically identified differences between the genders can be explained by the ideology that views women as carers and that has spreaded to the level of aging policies and gender division of labour (househould work, care for children) that has spread to the field of family care for parents.
COBISS.SI-ID: 35968861
European countries differ greatly in the proportions of people who receive various types of care. They also differ considerably regarding the societal characteristics of care such as the availability of formal care within the country. We explored the explanatory potential of contextual characteristics of the provision of formal home care, and barriers to using long-term care services for older people's care arrangements across Europe. We employed data from Wave 5 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, and analyze the data using a multinomial logistic model. Less involvement and lower national governance in the integration of home care policy decreases the use of formal care alone, and in combination with informal care. Higher integration and coordination in delivering home-care services increases the use of formal services. In countries with higher shares of reported barriers to using their longterm care systems there is a smaller probability of formal services being used.
COBISS.SI-ID: 36263005
The provision of care to dependent elderly parents or parents-in-law is an important part of intergenerational exchange within families, especially in countries where the long-term care system is based predominantly on family care. However, in mixed-care networks, care tasks are shared between family members and formal carers. Additionally, adult children may need to financially help their parents, especially due to the financial burden that formal care places on the elderly. We used the Slovenian national survey of social home care users and their family members, collected in 2013, to observe the characteristics and determinants of intergenerational financial transfers in families that use mixed care, within dyads comprising a care recipient and a family caregiver. The findings show that there is a considerable proportion of financial exchange among the observed dyads. Furthermore, among the determinants, the income of the elderly person and amount of care received are important for financial flows upward (to the elderly parent) and downward (from the elderly parent). The concurrent flows differ; their main determinants are the carer's age, household size and education.
COBISS.SI-ID: 35571805
Theory: The quality of long-term care services has an important effect on the quality of life of their users and their informal carers. By identifying gaps between provision of services and users' needs we can suggest adjustments of the long-term care services and advance their development. Method: The data from the first Slovenian national survey of social homecare (SHC) users and their informal carers was utilised. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate factors that affect assessments of five dimensional concept of access. Results: On average, affordability was rated the lowest (mean=2.9) and acceptability the highest (4.0), with availability, accessibility and accommodation (mean=3.6) in the middle. Regression analysis explains 15% of variability in affordability, while for other dimensions much less. Caregiver's needs are the most influential predictor of access, negatively influencing the rating of access (availability B=.127, accommodation B=-.113, acceptability B=-.120, affordability B=-.155). Care recipients' needs also affect the rating of affordability (B=-.132). Family income negatively influences the rating of availability (B=-.115), accessibility (B=-.076) and affordability (B=-.270). Residents of rural areas rate availability (B=-.070) and affordability (B=-.067) less favourable. Discussion: This study showed that affordability is rated the least favourable among components of access. Adjustment in private out-of-pocket co-payment mechanism is...
COBISS.SI-ID: 35674973