Alpass Fiona, Keeling Sally, Allen Joanne, Stevenson Brendan, Stephens Christine
School of Psychology, Massey University, Private Bag, Palmerston North, 11-222, New Zealand.
Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2017 Sep;32(3):323-337. doi: 10.1007/s10823-017-9327-3.
There are 432,000 individuals in New Zealand who provide unpaid care for someone who is ill or disabled and 65% of these carers are also in paid employment. The number of older people in the paid workforce is projected to increase in the next two decades. With the median age of carers in 2013 at 49 years, the ageing of both the population and workforce suggests that many carers may still be in paid work as they themselves age. Family care is an essential part of the health care system. Informal care provides many benefits including improved patient outcomes, reduced unnecessary re-hospitalisations and residential care placements, and considerable savings in health care expenditure. However, combining paid work and informal care is problematic for many carers and can impact on their health and wellbeing, and on work-related outcomes by way of reduced work hours, absenteeism, and employment exit. Recent policy initiatives have been implemented to support family carers in New Zealand to remain in or re-enter the workforce. This paper explores the challenges presented to older New Zealanders who combine paid work with caregiving responsibilities. We provide a profile of older workers (aged 55+) who are providing care and analyse the impact of combining paid work and care on their health, wellbeing and economic living standards. Finally, we situate these findings within the policy framework in New Zealand.
在新西兰，有43.2万人为生病或残疾的人提供无偿护理，其中65%的护理人员也有带薪工作。预计在未来二十年里，从事有偿工作的老年人数量将会增加。2013年护理人员的年龄中位数为49岁，人口老龄化和劳动力老龄化表明，许多护理人员随着自身年龄的增长可能仍在从事有偿工作。家庭护理是医疗保健系统的重要组成部分。非正式护理带来诸多益处，包括改善患者治疗效果、减少不必要的再次住院和住院护理安置，并大幅节省医疗保健支出。然而，对许多护理人员来说，兼顾有偿工作和非正式护理存在问题，可能会影响他们的健康和幸福，以及与工作相关的成果，如减少工作时间、旷工和离职。新西兰最近已实施政策举措，以支持家庭护理人员继续留在或重新进入劳动力市场。本文探讨了新西兰老年人在兼顾有偿工作和护理责任时面临的挑战。我们介绍了正在提供护理的老年工作者（55岁以上）的情况，并分析了兼顾有偿工作和护理对他们的健康、幸福和经济生活水平的影响。最后，我们将这些研究结果置于新西兰的政策框架内。
