Care Gaps and Expectations in Caregiving in Later Life.
The research projects in caregiving collaborate with Professors Rachel Margolis, University of Western Ontario, & Ashton Verdery, Pennsylvania State University.
► Family Structure and Care Gaps in the United States
Changes in family formation have made families increasingly diverse and have new challenges of caregiving in older adulthood. When spouses and children are the primary caregivers to support older adults, it raises the question of how unmarried and childless older adults will receive care as their health declines. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we examine whether there is a care gap for current and future help with the activities of daily life among older adults.
The preliminary results show that compared to older adults with a partner and biological children, no partnered older adults with biological children had significantly higher odds of having care gaps. Those without a partner or biological children also were likely to have care gaps compared with those with both a partner and biological children. The findings imply that older adults who are unpartnered and have no biological children are likely to become more disadvantaged in later life.
► The Care Gap among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Europe
Population aging around the world has brought the issue of caregiving in later life to the forefront. Rapid changes in family structure have led to increases in kinless older adults, those without close family members who usually provide help with personal care and mobility when needed. However, countries greatly differ in terms of the health of the older population, the family structures of older adults, and norms about providing care for family members. All of these are important in shaping the patterns of caregiving among older adults.
We use data from the Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe to examine whether care arrangements vary by family structure across contexts in older adulthood. In the study, we focus on testing the care gap, defined as adults reporting difficulty with ADLs who receive no family/unpaid caregiving, paid home care, or nursing home care.
Our finding shows that the care gap is substantial with 6.1% of all respondents ages 50 and above reporting a gap. It is highest in Western and Eastern Europe and lowest in Southern Europe and Israel. Respondents without partners or children are considerably more likely to have care gaps than those with close kin, even though they draw on more diverse networks of friends and relatives. The care gap is most common among unpartnered adults without children, but it is also quite common for those with close family. Countries with diverse welfare states can address these care needs in various ways.
► Too Optimistic or Too Pessimistic? Older Adults’ Expectations for Receiving Future Care
Shifts in family structure and evolving family norms may be shifting expectations about caregiving. Using the Health and Retirement Study (1996-2016), we examine what characteristics are associated with older adults’ expectations of receiving help when they have difficulties with basic personal care activities in the future.
Results indicate that over half of older adults are optimistic that they will have someone to help with their needs in personal care. Almost 3 in ten adults 50+ say they will not have anyone to help them with personal care and mobility. Expectations of who will provide help vary by family structure. Childless adults and kinless adults have much higher rates of saying no one will be there to help them.
Living Apart Together Relationships (LAT) in Older Adulthood.
The project is my dissertation that focused on living apart together relationships in later life. The patterns of partnership among older adults have become more diverse in recent decades. When many researchers focused on repartnering in cohabitation and remarriage, they ignored that older singles may form intimate partnerships that do not involve coresidence. The rise in unmarried individuals suggests increasing the possibilities of developing a non-residential relationship, such as dating and living apart together (LAT) relationships.
Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) in 2011, this study aims to conceptualize the definition of LAT relationships for older adults in the United States. First, I examined expectations of cohabitation and marriage among LATs. I also compared the differences between LATs and cohabitors. Second, I compared various relationship types with LAT relationships. I differentiated dating and LAT relationships to provide a more accurate definition of LAT relationships. Finally, I estimated how relationship type is linked to older adults’ health and psychological well-being by comparing LATs and other intimate relationships, including dating, cohabitation, remarriage, and first marriage.
The results found that older adults in LAT relationships had different social and economic demographic characteristics than daters and cohabitors. Older adults who were in LAT relationships were reluctant to expect cohabitation or marriage in the future. The psychological well-being of LATs was no worse than that of either cohabitors or married older adults. My research contributes to providing new insights on LAT relationships and gives implications on well-being in later life
Changes in Family Demography in Later Life in Taiwan: Past, Present, and Future.
The rapid changes in family structure and increases in the aging population in recent decades raise concerns about how we prepare and cope with issues in an aging society. Because of the decline in marriage and fertility, older adults are more likely to be single and have fewer children. It also implies an increase in living alone and a lack of family support networks among older people. Taiwan’s population aged 65 and over continues growing from 149,000 persons in 1993 to 343,000 persons in 2018 and will increase to 468,000 persons in 2025. However, little is known about how changes in family demography are related to older adults’ health, well-being, and caregiving in Taiwan. Thus, it is vital to understand current and future trends in the aging population and how we can support people getting older.
Huijing Wu, Ph.D. 