Associations between care network types and psychological well-being among dutch older adults

This study examines the mechanisms underlying the association between care network types and psychological well-being. Care recipients in the 2015/16 wave of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (N = 607) reported on the structural (size and composition) and functional features of care network types (satisfaction, feeling in control of care and care attitudes). Those in a mixed care network reported the highest depressive symptoms, while those in a spousal care network and a privately paid care network reported the lowest. The importance of being in control of care interacts with care network type on well-being. The results corroborate that both informal and formal caregivers need to help older persons to remain in control of care

Trends in long-term care use among Dutch older men and women between 1995 and 2016: is the gender gap changing?

publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Formal and informal social participation of the 'young-old' in the Netherlands in 1992 and 2002

The study compares the formal and informal social participation of 60-69 year olds in The Netherlands in 1992 and 2002, and examines which attributes of the two cohorts favour social participation. Using data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, it was found that cohort differences in formal participation (as members of organisations, in volunteer work and in religious organisations) and in informal participation (having a large social network, and in cultural and recreational activities) associated with cohort differences in individual characteristics (level of education, health, employment status and marital status). Descriptive analyses showed an increase between 1992 and 2002 in all forms of participation except religious involvement. The 2002 cohort members were more educated and more engaged in employment, but in worse health and had a higher prevalence of divorce than the 1992 cohort members. Logistic regression analyses showed that the positive effect on social participation of the recent cohort's higher educational level was suppressed by the negative effect of their worse health. Being divorced had mixed effects on formal and informal participation, but the difference in the number of divorcees did not explain cohort differences in social participation. Interaction effects showed that the influence of sex and health on volunteer work and religious involvement changed over time. The paper concludes with a discussion of the prospects for higher levels of formal and informal social participation among future cohorts of young-older people. © 2010 Cambridge University Press

The impact of informal care-giving networks on adult children's care-giver burden

Previous research on the care-giver burden experienced by adult children has typically focused on the adult child and parent dyad. This study uses information on multiple informal care-givers and examines how characteristics of the informal care-giving network affect the adult child's care-giver burden. In 2007, 602 Dutch care-givers who were assisting their older parents reported on parental and personal characteristics, care activities, experienced burden and characteristics of other informal care-givers. A path model was applied to assess the relative impact of the informal care-giving network characteristics on the care-giver burden. An adult child experienced lower care-giver burden when the informal care-giving network size was larger, when more types of tasks were shared across the network, when care was shared for a longer period, and when the adult child had no disagreements with the other members of the network. Considering that the need for care of older parents is growing, being in an informal care-giving network will be of increasing benefit for adult children involved in long-term care. More care-givers will turn into managers of care, as they increasingly have to organise the sharing of care among informal helpers and cope with disagreements among the members of the network

Effects of own and spousal disability on loneliness among older adults

Objectives: This study examines the effects of own and spousal disability on social and emotional loneliness among married adults aged 65 and older. Method: Data from 710 men and 379 women of a Dutch community sample were analyzed with linear regression analyses. Results: For men, only their wives' disability was related to higher levels of social loneliness, whereas for women mainly their own disability was related to higher levels of social loneliness. Own disability and spousal disability were related to higher levels of emotional loneliness among both men and women. Effects of disability remained unaffected after controlling for characteristics of the social network and the marital relationship. Discussion: Findings underscore the importance of considering effects of both spouses' health on measures of individual well-being. Also, the traditional division of social roles makes older married men relatively vulnerable to social loneliness when their wives suffer from disability. © 2008 Sage Publications

Contacts between elderly parents and their children in four European countries : current patterns and future prospects

Peer reviewe

Social network type and informal care use in later life:A comparison of three Dutch birth cohorts aged 75-84

Recent societal changes have increased the salience of non-kin relationships. It can be questioned whether networks types that are more strongly non-kin based give more informal care nowadays. We study how informal care use differs according to network type for three birth cohorts. Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) on older adults aged 75-84 years, interviewed in 1992, 2002 and 2012 respectively (total sample size N=2151, analytical sample having functional limitations N=926). We found four network types: restricted, family-focused with partner, family-focused without partner and wider community-focused diverse networks. Wider-community focused diverse networks are more common in the late birth cohort, whereas restricted networks and family-focused networks without partner are less common. Logistic regression analyses reveal that those in a family-focused network with a partner use informal care more often than those in the other three network types, and insignificant interaction terms show that this does not differ by birth cohort. Irrespective of their network type, those in the late birth cohort use informal care less often. However, after controlling for need, predisposing and context factors, this cohort-difference is no longer significant. We conclude that despite large-scale societal changes, wider-community-focused diverse networks do not provide more informal care than before and that among the functionally impaired, the odds of receiving informal care does not decline across birth cohorts

Lessons learned from 11 countries on programs promoting intergenerational solidarity

Objective: The goal of this project was to develop a systematic framework through which interventions promoting intergenerational solidarity in 11 countries could be assessed. Background: Although intergenerational solidarity—the exchange of material, social, and emotional support and care between family generations—benefits both the country's economic well-being (macro-level) and the individual's physical, mental, and social well-being (micro-level), decreasing intergenerational solidarity is evident in many industrialized countries. Interventions promoting intergenerational solidarity are increasingly being developed, but few are described in the literature. Moreover, no unifying framework describing them exists. Method: Representatives from 11 countries convened to identify interventions promoting intergenerational solidarity. After several meetings, a unifying framework was created. Representatives selected a convenience sample of programs and abstracted information based on the framework. Results: The outcome of social well-being was virtually ubiquitous in most programs. Countries appeared to take a broad view of intergenerational solidarity, focusing on interactions among generations, rather than interactions within families. Discussion and Implications: The framework enabled the systematic abstraction and assessment of programs. Most programs had no standard method of evaluating their outcomes. Longitudinal evaluations would be optimal if we want to identify the best practices in intergenerational solidarity programs

Informal and formal home-care use among older adults in Europe: can cross-national differences be explained by societal context and composition?

Cross-national comparisons used welfare state regimes to explain differences in care use in the European older population, yet these classifications do not cover all care-related societal characteristics and limit our understanding of which specific societal characteristics are most important. This study explores to the familialistic culture, welfare state context, and socio-economic and demographic composition add to our understanding of informal and formal care use of older adults in 11 European countries. Using the Survey of Ageing, Health and Retirement (2006), multilevel logistic regression analyses show that, in addition to individual determinants, societal determinants are salient for understanding informal and formal care use. In countries with a less familialistic culture, a high availability of home based services, a larger proportion of women in part-time work and a smaller proportion of 65 years and older in the population, older adults are more likely to receive formal home care, particularly when they have functional limitations. In countries with more residential care, more spending in pensions, more women in part-time employment and a more aged population, older adults with functional limitations are less likely to receive informal care. We can tentatively conclude that the incorporation of societal determinants rather than commonly used welfare state classifications yields more insight in factors that determine older adults informal and formal care use

Explanations of socioeconomic differences in changes in physical function in older adults: results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam

BACKGROUND: This study examines the association between socioeconomic status and changes in physical function in younger- (aged 55–70 years) and older-old (aged 70–85 years) adults and seeks to determine the relative contribution of diseases, behavioral, and psychosocial factors in explaining this association. METHODS: Data were from 2,366 men and women, aged 55–85 years, participating in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). Two indicators of socioeconomic status were used: education and income. Physical function was measured by self-reported physical ability over nine years of follow-up. RESULTS: In older adults, low socioeconomic status was related to a poorer level of physical function during nine years of follow-up. In subjects who were between 55 and 70 years old, there was an additional significant socioeconomic-differential decline in physical function, while socioeconomic differentials did not further widen in subjects 70 years and older. Behavioral factors, mainly BMI and physical activity, largely explained the socioeconomic differences in physical function in the youngest age group, while psychosocial factors reduced socioeconomic status differences most in the oldest age group. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate age-specificity of both the pattern of socioeconomic status differences in function in older persons and the mechanisms underlying these associations