Does Physical Distance Make a Difference in Caregiving?

Abstract

This article analyzes cross-sectional data collected from a representative community sample of 1509 informal caregivers in the 1996 Family Caregiver Survey, which was conducted in the United States by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons. We examine the role of proximity between caregivers and their elders in different aspects of caregiving experiences including caring involvement, caregiving strain, work-related strain, and formal service utilization. It was found that caregivers sharing the same household with elderly care recipients reported higher levels of physical, emotional, and financial strain than other caregivers. Moreover, it was found that caregivers who lived within 20 minutes of travelling time, but not co-residing with the elderly care recipients, reported lower levels of work strain than other caregivers (including those who lived with care recipients). This differential impact remained even after controlling demographic characteristics of caregivers and caregiving involvement. The effect of proximity had no impact in the total number for formal service utilization.