[Substitutes in care of the elderly? The artifact of a null correlation].

On theoretical grounds or as a consequence of social policy measures (substitution), a negative correlation between formal and informal help is expected. A remarkable finding in most of the cross-sectional research is however a zero-correlation. Some researchers are tempted to conclude that substitution in care is not possible. In this article the composition of the population under investigation is suggested as an explanation for the absence of the correlation. If the population contains many young and healthy elderly, neither formal nor informal help is mostly necessary. The existing substitution in care for the needy elderly is consequently obscured and a zero-correlation between formal and informal help is found. This zero-correlation suggests that no substitution has taken place, but results from the composition of the population. In this article data on a life situation survey among 304 elderly people in a rural area are presented to illustrate this assumption.