Informal care, older people, and COVID-19: Evidence from the UK

Madia, Joan E.; Moscone, Francesco; Nicodemo, Catia

doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2022.11.020

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The financial difficulties of older care recipients contributed to a deterioration of the mental well-being of family caregivers, probably because part of their mental workload was focused on how to manage the care recipient's expenditure regarding LTC services. Thus, low income not only affected the QoL of OCRs who became infected [27], but it might have also affected the mental well-being of FCGs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Physical distancing, often translated into social distancing, worsened QoL [22]; accelerated the cognitive decline of many older individuals [23,24]-especially these affected by mild cognitive impairment and dementia [25]-or suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease [22,26]; and increased behavioral disturbance in those with various forms of dementia. In addition, during the pandemic, older individuals who received informal care were more likely to be infected than those who did not receive such care, and those with lower incomes had a greater risk of contracting the virus than those with higher incomes [27]. Furthermore, older people with four or more chronic conditions experienced increased loneliness, and females were more likely to have increased anxiety and insomnia [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predictors of Deterioration in Mental Well-Being and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers and Older People with Long-Term Care Needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fabbietti,

Santini,

Piccinini

et al. 2024

Healthcare

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Data were collected through a survey on the use of health and social care services and interventions by older care recipients living in the community and their family caregivers. Factors associated with deterioration of mental well-being and QoL in older care recipients (mean age 86.1 years old) and their family caregivers after the pandemic were studied. Results: The importance attached by family caregivers to the skills and training of healthcare professionals was a protective factor against the deterioration in the well-being of older care recipients. Similarly, the importance associated by family caregivers to the help received from healthcare professionals was a protective factor for QoL. Financial hardship of older care recipients was a risk factor for deterioration in caregivers’ mental well-being, while support from other family members was a protective factor for QoL. Conclusions: The presence of attentive healthcare professionals, a supportive family environment, and economic support can reduce the burden on both the caregiver and the older care recipient. These aspects need to be considered in any future emergency situation and when planning care services for community-dwelling older people.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Deterioration in Mental Well-Being and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers and Older People with Long-Term Care Needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fabbietti,

Santini,

Piccinini

et al. 2024

Healthcare

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the attention and the number of studies on pandemic impacts on LTC systems (Rocard and Llena-Nozal, 2022 ) and on informal care (Dugarova, 2020 ; UN Women, 2020a , b ; Eurocareers/IRCCS-INRCA, 2021 ; Lorenz-Dant and Comas-Herrera, 2021 ) has increased, mainly nationwide studies (Chan et al, 2020 ; Moré Corral, 2020 ; Phillips et al, 2020 ; Cohen et al, 2021 ; Rodrigues et al, 2021 ; Madia et al, 2023 ). They highlight the insufficiency of measures to support informal careers (Lorenz-Dant and Comas-Herrera, 2021 ) and the lack of data that would allow better knowledge of the phenomenon (Rocard and Llena-Nozal, 2022 ).…”

Section: Informal Care and Inequalities: Labor Market Families And Statementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Informal Care and Inequalities: Labor Market Families And Statementioning

confidence: 99%

The concept of informal care: ambiguities and controversies on its scientific and political uses

Cruz,

Soeiro,

Canha

et al. 2023

Front. Sociol.

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Starting from an analysis of the scientific and political uses of the concept of informal care, this paper raises questions and launches the debate on the causes and effects of its uses. Recognizing the diversity and the contradictions found across the use of the term, it explains how its predominant use in Europe can be problematic. First, although it is widely recognized that care is provided primarily by women, this gender dimension is not emphasized in a concept that obscures the sexual division. Second, it does not render explicit that informal care is work, despite being unpaid. Third, the allusion to informality is likely to generate confusion with informal employment of care workers. Finally, studies often focus exclusively on care provided by family members, without distinguishing the spaces in which the work takes place and the social relationships it involves, namely the family or community. In Europe, where documents from (non)governmental organizations focus mainly on long-term care related to demographic aging, it is the care crisis of formal care provision systems, faced with financial fragility, reduction in funds and insufficient supply to meet the demand, that brings informal care to the political and scientific agendas. This paper argues that it is necessary to define conceptual boundaries that allow international studies on the dimension and value of this care work to be compared. It also advocates the importance of making visible that this is work, unpaid and female-dominated, since this view supports action guidelines more focused on social transformation and empowerment.

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Health and aging: The sustainability and equity trade-off

Novi¹,

Santos²

2023

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

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Informal care, older people, and COVID-19: Evidence from the UK

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Predictors of Deterioration in Mental Well-Being and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers and Older People with Long-Term Care Needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Predictors of Deterioration in Mental Well-Being and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers and Older People with Long-Term Care Needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The concept of informal care: ambiguities and controversies on its scientific and political uses

Health and aging: The sustainability and equity trade-off

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