Informal and formal care among single-living elderly in Europe.
Author
Summary, in English
The aims of this study were to analyse (1) whether informal care, provided by children or grandchildren to their elderly parents, and formal care are substitutes or complements, and (2) whether this relationship differs across Europe. The analyses Were based on cross-sectional data from the newly developed SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe) database. We found (1) that informal and formal home care are substitutes, while informal care is a complement to doctor and hospital visits, and (2) that these relationships in some cases differ according to a European north-south gradient. Instrumental variable methods were used and the results highlight the importance of accounting for the endogeneity of informal care.
Publishing year
2008
Language
English
Pages
393-409
Publication/Series
Health Economics
Volume
17
Issue
3
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Topic
- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Keywords
- informal care
- formal care
- Europe
- SHARE
- endogeneity
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1099-1050