Abstract
The population percentage of persons age 65 and older and persons 85 and older have increased significantly in recent decades. At the same time marriage and childbearing have been delayed, families have become smaller, often geographically dispersed, and the women’s labor force has greatly increased. These social patterns foretell an impending shortage of a caregiving workforce. Yet a pattern of familism by default appears to have emerged as the de facto system of care for the chronically ill and for those elders who require care. However, many middle and lower income families cannot afford the supportive services that let elders age at home and avoid more costly institutional care. Families with wealth and assets will be able to control the context of caregiving within their families and respond to needs as they arise. At issue is care for those of middle, working, and lower class status. The U.S. lacks a comprehensive long-term public policy for people who are chronically ill, frail, or disabled.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Administration on Aging Administration for Community Living US Department of Health and Human Services Profile of Older Americans: 2012. Administration on Aging, Administration for Community Living, & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). A Profile of Older Americans: 2012.
Al Hazzouri, A. Z., Haan, M. N., Kalbfleisch, J. D., Galea, S., Lisabeth, L. D., & Aiello, A. E. (2011). Life course socioeconomic position and incidence of dementia and cognitive impairment without dementia in older Mexican Americans: Results from the Sacramento area Latino study on aging. American Journal of Epidemiology, 173(10), 1148–1158.
Barnes, C. L., Given, B. A., & Given, C. W. (1995). Parent caregivers: A comparison of employed and not employed daughters. Social Work, 40(3), 375–381.
Basu, R. (2013). Education and dementia risk: Results from the aging demographics and memory study. Research on Aging, 35(1), 7–31.
Bookman, A., & Kimbrel, D. (2011). Families and elder care in the Twenty-First Century. The Future of Children, 21(2), 117–138.
Flaskerud, J. H., & Lee, P. (2001). Vulnerability to health problems in female informal caregivers of persons with HIV/AIDS and age-related dementias. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33(1), 60–68.
Harrow, B. S., Mahoney, D. F., Mendelsohn, A. B., Ory, M. G., Coon, D. W., Belle, S. H., & Nichols, L. O. (2004). Variation in the cost of informal caregiving and formal service use for people with Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 19(5), 299–308.
House, J. S., Lepkowski, J. M., Kinney, A. M., Mero, R. P., Kessler, R. C., & Herzog, A. R. (1994). The social stratification of aging and health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 34(3), 213–234.
Kahn, J., & Pearlin, L. I. (2006). Financial strain over the life course and health among older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 47(1), 17–31.
Kneipp, S. M., Castleman, J. B., & Gailor, N. (2004). Informal caregiving burden: An overlooked aspect of the lives and health of women transitioning from welfare to employment. Public Health Nursing, 21(1), 24–31.
Knickman, J. R., Hunt, K. A., Snell, E. K., Alecxlh, L. M., & Kennell, D. L. (2003). Wealth patterns among elderly Americans: Implications for health care affordability. Health Affairs, 22(3), 168–174.
Lahaie, C., Earle, A., & Heymann, J. (2012). An uneven burden: Social disparities in adult caregiving responsibilities, working conditions, and caregiver outcomes. Research on Aging, 35(3), 243–274.
Levine, C., Albert, S. M., Hokenstad, A., Halper, D. E., Hart, A. Y., & Gould, D. A. (2006). “This case is closed”: Family caregivers and the termination of home health care services for stroke patients. The Milbank Quarterly, 84(2), 305–331.
Luo, Y., Xu, J., Granberg, E., & Wentworth, W. M. (2012). A longitudinal study of social status, perceived discrimination, and physical and emotional health among older adults. Research on Aging, 34(3), 275–301.
Marks, N. F., Lambert, J. D., Jun, H., & Song, J. (2008). Psychosocial moderators of the effects of transitioning into filial caregiving on mental and physical health. Research on Aging, 30(8), 358–389.
National Alliance for Caregiving, & AARP. (2009). Caregiving in the U.S. 2009. MetLife Foundation.
Pavalko, E. K., & Woodbury, S. (2000). Social roles as process: Caregiving careers and women’s health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41(2), 91–105.
Pearlin, L. I., Schieman, S., Fazio, E. M., & Meersman, S. C. (2005). Stress, health, and the life course: Some conceptual perspectives. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46(2), 205–219.
Robinson, K. M. (1997). Family caregiving: Who provides the care, and at what cost? Nursing Economics, 15(5), 243–247.
Robison, J. R., Fortinsky, R., Kleppinger, A., Shugrue, N., & Porter, M. (2009). A broader view of family caregiving: Effects of caregiving and caregiver conditions on depressive symptoms, health, work, and social isolation. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 64B(6), 788–798.
Saraceno, C. (2010). Social inequalities in facing old-age dependency: A bi-generational perspective. Journal of European Social Policy, 20(1), 32–44.
Schulz, R., & Sherwood, P. R. (2008). Physical and mental health effects of family caregiving. Journal of Social Work Education, 44(3), 105–113.
Szinovacz, M. E., & Davey, A. (2007). Changes in adult caregiver networks. The Gerontologist, 47(3), 280–294.
U.S. Census Bureau. (November 2011). Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
Wakabayashi, C., & Donato, K. M. (2005). The consequences of caregiving: Effects on women’s employment and earnings. Population Research and Policy Review, 24, 467–488.
Wakabayashi, C., & Donato, K. M. (2006). Does caregiving increase poverty among women in later life? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 47(3), 258–274.
Williams, A. M., Forbes, D. A., Mitchell, J., Essar, M., & Corbett, B. (2003). The influence of income on the experience of informal caregiving: Policy implications. Health Care for Women International, 24, 280–291.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bruhn, J., Rebach, H. (2014). Socioeconomic Status and Caregiving. In: The Sociology of Caregiving. Clinical Sociology: Research and Practice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8857-1_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8857-1_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-8856-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-8857-1
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)