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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Understanding the caring capacity of informal networks of frail seniors
— a case for care networks | | Author(s) | Norah Keating, Pamela Otfinowski, Clare Wenger |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 23, part 1, January 2003 |
| Pages | pp 113-127 |
| Keywords | Informal care ; Community care ; Social contacts. |
| Annotation | Population ageing and constraints on public sector spending for older people with long-term health problems have led policy-makers to turn to older people's social networks, or the "informal sector" as a source of long-term care. An important question arising from this policy shift is whether these social networks have the resources to sustain the high levels of care required by older people with chronic health problems. In the face of both dire warnings about the imminent demise of the informal sector and concurrent expectations that it will be a pillar of community long-term care, a critical analysis of the caring capacity of older people's social networks is timely. The authors argue that the best way to understand these is to establish their membership and caring capacity. It is useful to make conceptual distinctions between "social", "support" and "care-giving" networks. The authors argue that transitions of networks from social, to support, to care roles are likely to show systematic patterns, and that in each transition, the networks tend to contract as the more narrowly defined functions prevail. A focus of "care networks" rather than the more usual "care dyads" will advance our understanding of the informal sector's caring capacity, and also our ability to forge sound social and health policies to support those who provide care. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-030210508 A |
| Classmark | P6: PA: TOA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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