Should the government pay? Caregiver views of government responsibility and feelings of stigma about financial support.

Abstract

Financial support strategies to assist informal caregivers of the elderly have been implemented and/or experimented with in several states. Little is known about how receptive caregiving families are to receiving financial support from the government to assist with in-home care, particularly whether they feel stigmatized. Few existing programs have assessed caregivers' views. In examining caregivers' reactions to receiving means-tested financial assistance, it is important to assess whether they consider support of the disabled a government responsibility as well as a possible stigma. Caregivers (N = 155) of disabled veterans aged 65 and older who receive Veterans' Administration disability allowances (Aid and Attendance) were surveyed. Results indicate that caregivers feel the government is primarily responsible for supporting the long-term disabled who are cared for at home. For the most part, these caregivers did not feel stigmatized or uncomfortable receiving means-tested government assistance to support in-home care. An important implication of this study is that financial support can be a workable component of an integrated service delivery system to support informal caregiving.