Stability of informal long-term care.

Driven by projections of increasing needs for long-term care coupled with changing social trends, fear of family abandonment of caregiving has persisted. Data from two longitudinal studies confirm that informal caregivers are not withdrawing their help. Not only were family and friends the first source of assistance, but they also continued to be the primary source of care over 10 years. Further, although the majority of elders retained the same primary caregiver, if there was a change, it was typically to a new informal caregiver in the next generation. Very few elders who remained in the community ceased receiving informal care or turned from informal care to formal services.