Spillman B C, Pezzin L E
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
Milbank Q. 2000;78(3):347-74, table of contents. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.00177.
Informal family care giving has been a traditional mainstay of care for the frail elderly. As the Baby Boomers approach retirement and old age, it is not clear that society can continue to rely on informal arrangements. The 1984 and 1994 National Long Term Care Surveys were used as sources for examining changes over a decade in the population of chronically disabled elderly, their sources of care, and the characteristics of family caregivers. The results showed that although the total number of active family caregivers declined, a constant number of primary caregivers was looking after recipients who were more severely disabled. Members of the "sandwich generation" and full-time workers maintained or even increased their participation as primary caregivers. The competing demands confronting these caregivers and the higher disability levels among care recipients probably contributed to the growing pattern of reliance on formal care, a situation that is likely to continue.
非正式家庭护理一直是照顾体弱老年人的传统支柱。随着婴儿潮一代接近退休和老年，社会是否能够继续依赖非正式安排尚不清楚。1984年和1994年的全国长期护理调查被用作考察十年间慢性残疾老年人人口、他们的护理来源以及家庭护理人员特征变化的资料来源。结果显示，尽管活跃的家庭护理人员总数有所下降，但主要护理人员的数量保持不变，他们照顾的是残疾程度更严重的受助者。“三明治一代”的成员和全职工作者作为主要护理人员的参与度维持甚至有所提高。这些护理人员面临的相互竞争的需求以及受助者中更高的残疾水平可能促成了对正式护理日益增长的依赖模式，这种情况可能会持续下去。
