@article {12894, title = {Family caregivers provide 2 extra {\textquoteleft}shifts{\textquoteright} of care per week per resident in assisted living: study}, year = {2023}, publisher = {McKnights }, keywords = {Assisted living, Informal caregiving}, url = {https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/news/family-caregivers-provide-2-extra-shifts-of-care-per-week-per-resident-in-assisted-living-study/}, author = {Bonvissuto, Kimberly} } @mastersthesis {13005, title = {Essays on Medicaid Aging Waivers and Informal Caregiving to the Elderly}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2021}, school = {The Ohio State University}, keywords = {Aging waivers, Informal caregiving, Medicaid}, url = {https://www.proquest.com/docview/2699743018/abstract/31FBD18D8813412CPQ/1?accountid=14667}, author = {Zai, Xianhua} } @article {https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13783, title = {Impact of Medicare Eligibility on Informal Caregiving for Surgery and Stroke}, journal = {Health Services Research}, volume = {56}, year = {2021}, pages = {61-62}, abstract = {Research Objective Over 40 million older Americans rely on informal care (unpaid assistance for personal care such and instrumental support, including toileting, bathing, and shopping). Prior work illustrates 68{\textendash}230\% greater spending on post-acute care after surgery for Medicare beneficiaries compared to older commercial insurance enrollees. Such enhanced access to post-acute care may reduce the need for family and friend caregiving support for rehabilitation following acute medical events. While use of informal care is substantial among older Americans, little is known about informal support for patients after acute medical events, and how formal post-acute care influences its use. Study Design We used 1998 to 2018 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data to assess changes in weekly hours of informal care received by individuals experiencing acute events before and after Medicare eligibility. We created two similar cohorts of individuals near the Medicare eligibility age: pre-Medicare, or individuals ages 59{\textendash}66 and not covered by Medicare; and Medicare, or individuals ages 67{\textendash}74. We used a threshold of 67, rather than 65, for the Medicare cohort to account for the two-year lookback period used in HRS survey questions. The cohorts were matched using inverse probability treatment weights. A regression discontinuity design assessed three types of caregiving {\textendash} the proportion of respondents receiving care, intensity of care among care recipients, and care intensity among all respondents {\textendash} before and after Medicare eligibility. We estimated generalized linear models with a log link and gamma distribution that regressed informal care on Medicare status, a centered age variable, and an interaction between Medicare status and centered age. Sensitivity analyses included stratification by surgery type and by sex. Population Studied 4264 Health and Retirement Study participants near the age of Medicare eligibility in one of three self-reported acute medical cohorts: stroke, heart surgery, or joint surgery. Principal Findings Among near-retirement individuals, 2031 (47.6\%) had a stroke, 1038 (24.3\%) underwent heart surgery, and 1038 (28.0\%) underwent joint surgery. Of the 937 (22.3\%) of patients who reported receiving care from an informal caregiver, average care measured 34.0 (SD: 49.2) weekly hours. Mean (SD) weekly informal caregiving hours were 7.5 (27.0) overall, and 12.1 (34.7), 3.8 (18.5), and 2.9 (14.1) for stroke, heart surgery, and joint surgery patients, respectively. In adjusted analyses, the proportion of stroke patients receiving informal care decreased from 39.5\% to 28.6\% (or by 28\%) and the average weekly amount of care decreased from 21.0 to 10.3 hours (or 51\%) after Medicare enrollment. Non-significant decreases were observed for the other medical cohorts. There was a non-significant average decrease of 22.8 hours (or 40\%) in the intensity of care received by men after one of three events. Conclusions Access to Medicare coverage was associated with a 51\% reduction in informal care received by older Medicare stroke patients, potentially by increasing access to post-acute services. Implications for Policy or Practice Post-acute care is increasingly targeted for cost savings under Medicare policies, which may restrict access to post-acute care and rehabilitation, impacting demand for informal care for older adults with stroke.}, keywords = {Eligibility Determination, Informal caregiving, Medicare, Stroke, Surgery}, doi = {10.1111/1475-6773.13783}, author = {DeRoo, Ana and Ha, Jinkyung and Norcott, Alexandra and Regenbogen, Scott and Geoffrey J Hoffman} } @mastersthesis {10302, title = {Three Essays in Labor Economics}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2018}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2018-08-26}, pages = {152}, school = {Howard University}, type = {phd}, abstract = {Advances in computing power over the past 30 years have allowed economists to apply econometric techniques to larger and more complex data sets, to identify cause and effect relationships. This is certainly true in the field of labor economics, where labor economists must often evaluate the impact of policy interventions on labor market outcomes, without the benefit of randomized trials{\textendash}the ideal method for drawing inferences about policy effects (Angrist \& Pischke, 2015). Instead, labor economists must draw inferences from observational data, which present various challenges due to the presence of confounding factors (Athey \& Imbens, 2017). In order to identify causal effects in the presence of confoundedness, economists use various econometric tools and strategies, such as propensity score matching, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity design. Propensity score matching and instrumental variables use the Rubin Causal Model (RCM) framework. RCM interprets causal effects as comparisons of potential outcomes: pairs of outcomes for the same individual, conditional on different levels of exposure to a treatment (Imbens \& Wooldridge, 2009). Researchers can only observe one of the two outcomes, so they can never directly observe causal effects (Athey \& Imbens, 2017). Propensity score matching is a technique that allows the researcher to create the unobserved counterfactual outcome, and to then use the potential outcomes to estimate the causal effect of the treatment. The instrumental variables approach is designed to address the confoundedness created by unobserved factors, such as self-selection. For example, individuals who choose to receive treatment may be different than those who choose not to receive treatment, in a way that the differences are unobservable. These unobserved differences will influence response to the treatment, and thus, will void estimates of causal effects (Imbens \& Wooldridge, 2009). In the instrumental variables approach, researchers use instruments{\textendash}variables that are correlated with the treatment variable but not with the outcome variable, and thus, does not affect the potential outcome. These instruments allow the researcher to control for unobserved factors, like self-selection, and to estimate causal effects. This dissertation uses two of these approaches{\textendash}propensity score matching and instrumental variables{\textendash}to identify causal effects on three important current policy issues: the transition away from defined benefit pensions, the returns to education, and the provision of informal care by grandparents.}, keywords = {Causal effects, College quality, Informal caregiving, Labor economics, Labor market outcomes, Pension plans, Returns to schooling, Social Sciences}, isbn = {9780438260979}, author = {Lopezlira,Enrique A.} }