ABSTRACT
Concern with the rapidly escalating costs of human services (particularly long-term care) has been heightened by the expanding size of the older population (especially the oldest old), as well as by the accompanying projections of increased needs for care. The projected combination of increased needs and rising costs has directed attention to what is recognized as the dominant role of the informal (i.e., no public dollar cost) system of care. Informal care may be defined as the assistance provided by family and friends to individuals with certain needs for personal care (bathing, grooming, eating, transfer) and instrumental activities of daily living (housekeeping tasks, meals, transportation, shopping/errands, financial management). Informal caregivers may also provide emotional support and assist with skilled health care (e.g., dressing changes, catheter care, injections). This unpaid source of care is thought to enable the frail elderly, among other impaired groups, to continue living in the community rather than entering institutional settings (e.g., nursing homes).
