The cyclicality of informal care.

TitleThe cyclicality of informal care.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsMommaerts, CD, Truskinovsky, Y
JournalJ Health Econ
Volume71
Pagination102306
Date Published2020 May
ISSN Number1879-1646
KeywordsInformal care
Abstract

This paper measures the cyclicality of an important input into elderly health: informal care. Using independent survey measures of informal caregiving and care receipt over the past two decades, we find that informal care from adult children to their elderly parents is countercyclical. By contrast, informal care from spouses is procyclical among individuals in their sixties. We find little corresponding change in the use of formal care, highlighting the potential for unmet care needs across the business cycle. These findings suggest that informal health inputs may play an important role in the interpretation of the cyclicality of elderly mortality.

DOI10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102306
User Guide Notes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32171128?dopt=Abstract

Alternate JournalJ Health Econ
Citation Key10814
PubMed ID32171128
PubMed Central IDPMC7231658
Grant ListT32 AG000186 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States