Care-related Termination of Employment among Informal Caregivers of Elderly Persons: Identification of a Risk Profile

Abstract

Employed informal caregivers often experience role conflicts between caring for an elderly person in need of care at home and their employment. The goal of this paper was to identify a risk profile of care-related termination of employment. Analyses are based on the cross-sectional Benefits of Being a Caregiver Study (October 2019 - March 2020) with data from 481 informal caregivers of elderly persons in need of care. The data collected relate to characteristics of the care recipient, the informal caregiver, and the caregiving situation, as well as aspects of the employment situation. The risk profile of care-related cessation of employment is based on a binary logistic regression. Approximately one in nine in the present sample (n=55) terminated employment because of having to offer informal care to an elderly person at home. Factors characterizing the risk profile of a care-related termination of employment were female gender of the caregivers, younger age of the care receiver, co-residence with the care receiver, and a higher care level of the care receiver. In order to reduce care-related cessation of employment, support and relief services need to be adapted to the factors of the identified risk profile. In particular, the form and content of informal caregiver counselling should be modified in order to reach informal caregivers at an early stage. Adapted support programs should focus on and reach in particular female employed caregivers.