Abstract
As the ageing phenomenon continues in India, we explore the care needs of older adults and identify caregivers for specific care needs across living arrangements. Using the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) conducted Building Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India (BKPAI 2011) data comprising 9850 older adults, we employed statistical methods to analyze the data, find associations and used binary logistic regression to model the adjusted and unadjusted effects of living arrangements on caregiving to older adults for specific care needs. Care-requiring situations considered were acute sickness, sickness requiring hospitalization, chronic morbidity, functional disability represented by ADL and IADL limitations, and locomotor disability. Results indicate that living arrangements of older adults were significantly associated with health, functional status and disability as well as caregiving patterns. Our results suggest that co-residence with children and all others was beneficial to older adults in obtaining care from a family caregiver for their hospitalization and chronic morbidity needs while living with spouse or living with a partner was advantageous for older adults in receiving care for their ADL limitations and during hospitalizations. Mean number of children was also significantly associated with the availability of a caregiver during hospitalization, locomotor disability, chronic morbidity and acute sickness. The study also highlights a little known phenomenon, that there was familial help available to older adults who lived alone. Notably, non-family sources of caregiving were steadily becoming visible (as high as 8–10 % of the caregiving component) especially among older adults living alone.
Highlights
As India experiences the demographic transition, older individuals are living longer with increasing life expectancy, and at the same time, are requiring more assistance or care to manage their day to day activities
Studies have reinforced that home-based care with family members as primary caregivers was still the first and often the only option for a majority of older adults, and the most common type of living arrangement in India was found to be living with married sons and their families (Devi and Indira 2007; Prakash 1999)
Studies on living arrangements of Indian older adults have focussed on their health and functional status for long but have not explored the caregiver type and caregiving patterns for different requirements, limitations and disabilities of older adults (Devi and Indira 2007; Prakash 1999; Sudha et al 2006; Agarwal 2012)
Summary
As India experiences the demographic transition, older individuals are living longer with increasing life expectancy, and at the same time, are requiring more assistance or care to manage their day to day activities. Studies have reinforced that home-based care with family members as primary caregivers was still the first and often the only option for a majority of older adults, and the most common type of living arrangement in India was found to be living with married sons and their families (Devi and Indira 2007; Prakash 1999). Studies on living arrangements of Indian older adults have focussed on their health and functional status for long but have not explored the caregiver type and caregiving patterns for different requirements, limitations and disabilities of older adults (Devi and Indira 2007; Prakash 1999; Sudha et al 2006; Agarwal 2012). With India’s older adult population currently at 8.57 % of their total population (Census of India 2011), information on living arrangements and caregiving patterns to older adults for their health, functional and disability needs will be pertinent to generate knowledge for debate, policy and action
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