Adult children's gender, number and proximity and older parents’ moves to institutions: evidence from Sweden

Alyona Artamonova,Clara H Mulder,Brian Joseph Gillespie,Maria Brandén

doi:10.1017/s0144686x21000556

Alyona Artamonova, Clara H Mulder + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x21000556

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Abstract

AbstractOlder people's ability to thrive independently of their adult children is an important feature of a universalistic welfare system. However, population ageing puts this notion under stress. In separate multinomial logistic regression models for older men and women, we examined whether adult children's gender, number and proximity were associated with older parents’ relocations into residential care facilities, and whether the effects of these children's characteristics on older parents’ institutionalisation vary by parents’ severe health problems, operationalised as closeness to death – specifically, dying within the two-year observation period. Analyses were based on the Swedish register data between 2014 and 2016 (N = 696,007 person-years). Older parents with at least one co-resident child were less likely to move or become institutionalised than those without a co-resident child. We did not find a relationship between older adults’ institutionalisation and the closest child's gender. The negative effect of having a non-resident child living nearby on the likelihood of becoming institutionalised was more pronounced for mothers than fathers. Having a child nearby decreased the likelihood of moving to an institution more for mothers who had severe health problems than for those in better health. We found no evidence of a relationship between number of children and likelihood of institutionalisation.

Highlights

People dealing with health problems in later life often experience difficulties performing daily chores independently and require need-based care
We focus on extensive care activities that are usually provided to a person with severe health problems in the later phase of life – care that requires close geographical proximity between the recipient and provider for adequate provision (Brandt et al, 2009)
Co-residence with a child was relatively rare in Sweden, 77.1 per cent of parents (78.8% of mothers and 74.4% of fathers) had the closest child within 20 km of the neighbourhood

Summary

Introduction

People dealing with health problems in later life often experience difficulties performing daily chores independently and require need-based care. How do older people’s relocations into institutionalised care relate to adult children’s gender, number and proximity?

Results

Conclusion