IMPACT OF INFORMAL CARE, TRAVEL DISTANCE, AND STRESS ON RETIREMENT DECISION MAKING

Abstract

AbstractEstablished literature informs us that caring for the elderly living over a distance can be a stressful for the caregivers. We add to this literature by showing the impact of distance on reported physical, emotional and financial stress levels, and further show that this distance can have a negative impact on the retirement decision-making of care providers. Using data from the Caregiving in the United States, 2015 survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP Public Policy Institute, we find that increased distance between the care-giver and the recipient living outside the household significantly increased the burden of care-giving stress on the provider. This is especially significant for those over fifty years of age and providing care. However, those who are caring for elderly inside their household also report high stress levels.Our findings indicate that among women, those with parents residing within 20 minutes of travel are least likely to be stressed out emotionally and financially, and are less likely to report care-giving as a reason for retirement than those with parents living further away. The likelihood of early retirement among women seems to increase substantially with an increase in their travel-time to elderly care recipients and is negatively related to income levels, possibly due to improved access to transport and paid-care services.