Lima Julie C, Allen Susan M, Goldscheider Frances, Intrator Orna
Brown University Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, 2 Stimson Avenue, Box G-S1, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2008 Jul;63(4):S229-S238. doi: 10.1093/geronb/63.4.s229.
This study examined life-stage differences in the provision of care to spouses with functional impairment.
We examined 1,218 married adults aged 52 and older from the 2000 wave of the Health and Retirement Study who received impairment-related help with at least one activity of daily living. We examined the differential likelihood that spouses served as primary caregiver and the hours of care provided by spousal primary caregivers by life stage.
We found that late middle-aged care recipients were more likely than their older counterparts to receive the majority of their care from their spouse but received fewer hours of spousal care, mostly when spouses worked full time. Competing demands of caring for children or parents did not affect the amount of care provided by a spouse.
Late middle-aged adults with functional limitations are more likely than older groups to be married and cared for primarily by spouses; however, they may be particularly vulnerable to unmet need for care. As the baby boom generation ages, retirement ages increase, and federal safety nets weaken, people with health problems at older ages may soon find themselves in the same caregiving predicament as those in late middle age.
本研究调查了为功能受损配偶提供照料方面的生命阶段差异。
我们研究了来自2000年健康与退休研究浪潮中的1218名年龄在52岁及以上的已婚成年人，他们在至少一项日常生活活动中接受了与功能受损相关的帮助。我们按生命阶段研究了配偶作为主要照料者的不同可能性以及配偶主要照料者提供照料的时长。
我们发现，与年龄较大的照料接受者相比，中年后期的照料接受者更有可能主要由其配偶提供大部分照料，但获得的配偶照料时长较少，这主要发生在配偶全职工作时。照顾子女或父母的竞争需求并未影响配偶提供照料的数量。
功能受限的中年后期成年人比年龄较大的群体更有可能已婚且主要由配偶照料；然而，他们可能特别容易面临照料需求未得到满足的情况。随着婴儿潮一代老龄化、退休年龄提高以及联邦安全网减弱，老年时出现健康问题的人可能很快会发现自己陷入与中年后期的人相同的照料困境。
