Journal of Aging & Social Policy最新文献

Unpaid eldercare provided by family comes with costs to caregivers, including the limitations eldercare responsibilities may place on labor force participation and work hours. This study examines the relationship between the frequency of unpaid eldercare and work behavior for previously full-time workers using multivariate regression and 2011-2018 American Time Use Survey data. High-frequency eldercare provision is associated with a decreased probability of being in the labor force for both men and women, and 5.5 fewer weekly hours worked for men ages 25-49, conditional on working full time 2-5 months prior. Policymakers should consider the relationship between work and unpaid caregiving for high-frequency caregivers in addressing growing care demand.

Previous research shows that minoritized (i.e. Black and Hispanic) older workers are more likely to work in jobs subject to employment disruptions and negative economic outcomes, including job and wage loss. Of the studies that have examined the pandemic-related employment and financial outcomes of minoritized older workers, few studies have accounted for the role that pre-COVID-19 financial precarity (i.e. ongoing financial strain) might play in post-COVID-19 financial precarity. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we evaluate the racial/ethnic differences in post-COVID-19 employment disruption and financial precarities among workers 51 years and older (N = 708 to 2,812 respondents depending on the outcome measure). Ordinary Least Squares regression and moderation analyses show that older Black and Hispanic workers were more likely to experience post-COVID-19 employment disruption and associated financial precarities (e.g. missed rent/mortgage payment). Furthermore, the consequences of preexisting financial precarity differed by race/ethnicity. Non-Hispanic white older workers without pre-COVID-19 financial precarity were uniquely protected from post-COVID-19 financial precarity, whereas Black and Hispanic older workers were more likely to experience post-COVID-19 financial precarity even in the absence of pre-COVID-19 precarity. Findings suggest that multi-level policies and interventions need to address structural inequity contributing to minoritized older workers' financial vulnerability during crises.

Consumer-directed care (CDC) for older people enables clients to arrange personalized services and improves their well-being. However, little is known about clients' preferences for policies in collectivist cultures. We investigate the views of older clients and family members about policies that promote consumer direction in a collectivist cultural setting - Guangzhou, China. Using semi-structured interviews, we recruited older persons and their family members (n = 24) in 2021. Inductive thematic analysis was employed. Two themes emerged. The first theme, the need for flexibility in utilizing benefits, includes the need for: 1) flexibility in selecting care workers; 2) autonomy in choosing budget management agents; 3) flexibility in selecting care-related goods; and 4) adequate and equitable benefits. The second theme, the need for professional support, contains the need for: 1) information and support; and 2) individualized training for care workers. Similar to those in individualistic cultures, people in collectivist environments desire autonomy and choice in service arrangements. However, the welfare and preferences of family members, rather than clients, may be prioritized by family members when making care decisions. Adapting CDC to collectivist cultures requires navigating between client preferences and family preferences.

Housing conditions and quality are well-established structural or social determinants of health. Poor quality housing also has the potential to affect care needs, but there is much less research on the topic, particularly on nonspecialist housing. Based on analysis of in-depth interviews with 44 people aged 65 and older living in England, their unpaid carers (N = 22), or as a carer-care recipient dyad (N = 6), (total N = 72), this study sought to explore the perceived relationship between people's housing conditions and characteristics and their care needs. Findings indicate three key themes within this relationship: condition of home (cold and damp; state of repair; cleanliness and clutter); space and design (space, access); and legal relationship with the home (ability to carry out remedial work; precarity). There was variation in how and whether housing affected care needs by housing tenure, financial resources, and the type and level of care need. Care needs can increase requirement for warmer, less damp homes and be a barrier to improving homes. In turn, housing has a role to play in preventing the occurrence or worsening of care needs. Improving housing through policy and practice actions could reduce care needs and improve the lives of older people now and in the future.

Unmet needs for healthcare services are widely recognized as an indicator of inequalities in healthcare access and utilization. This study estimated inequalities in unmet needs for healthcare services as well as their contributing factors and reasons among middle-aged and older adults in China. Results indicated that 30.47% and 5.69% of the middle-aged and older population in China reported unmet needs for outpatient and inpatient services, respectively. Mostly pro-poor inequalities concerned unmet needs for both rural and urban residents. The coverage of public health insurance and individuals' health status contributed most to the inequalities in the unmet needs identified. The most prevalent reason for unmet needs was affordability, especially for poor or rural respondents. Despite the rapid development of universal healthcare, unmet needs for healthcare services still existed and remained high among people living in rural areas and with low incomes in China. Policy interventions should focus on improving the public health insurance system and targeting financial barriers to obtaining care, particularly vulnerable populations in China.

Much attention has been paid to evaluating the policy effects of pension programs, but few studies have focused on possible inefficiencies stemming from their implementation. Drawing on a quasi-natural experiment associated with the adoption of China's New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS), this study explores the impact of the NRPS on food consumption among rural residents. A difference-in-differences (DID) analysis is performed using panel data from the 2009 and 2013 National Rural Fixed Observation survey. Results show that participation in the NRPS improves residents' dietary quality by increasing the consumption of recommended foods and decreasing the consumption of non-recommended foods. However, the results also show that the NRPS is associated with increased consumption of addictive and unhealthy products, especially in households with lower average levels of education, poorer self-reported health, and older adults over age 60. Findings suggest that when examining the possible health effects of new pension policies, it is essential to account for potential increases in the intake of unhealthy and addictive products, such as cigarettes and alcohol.

Increase in life expectancy around the world puts aging societies with all their challenges on the Global Public Health agenda. In Austria, additional years of life gained are not spent in good health, as healthy life expectancy is far below the European average. Using repeated cross-sectional data from three waves of the Austrian Health Interview Survey (2006, 2014 and 2019), including a total of 10,056 participants aged 65 years and above, this study examined the change in self-reported quality-of-life (QoL) over time and explored associated factors. QoL, estimated by domain scores of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, increased over time but decreased with age in all survey waves. Observed mean scores were significantly higher in males than in females in all QoL domains except the social domain but sex differences disappeared in most domains in the multivariable regression analyses. Instead, factors associated with significantly higher QoL scores included younger age, higher socioeconomic status, living in Western Austria and having no chronic conditions. Statistically significant observed sex differences in QoL in the older-aged Austrian population disappeared when adjusting for income and education. Strategies and measures to increase financial capabilities may have a significant impact on QoL and well-being in this age group.

Various studies have identified that older adults' assessment of their housing quality differs from that deemed as good-quality housing by housing professionals. This has prompted the need to advance academic discourse beyond simply reporting high levels of satisfaction in older adult's housing surveys. This study attempts to achieve this by using empirical data gathered through a mixed quantitative and qualitative research approach conducted with older adults in Slovenia. While the quantitative survey revealed generally high levels of satisfaction, the qualitative face-to-face interviews revealed numerous deficiencies, irrespective of whether older adults tended to express satisfaction with their dwellings. Therefore, our findings suggest that attributes such as ownership, period of residence, and neighborhood relations are far more important in determining housing satisfaction. Thus, we conclude that policies and programs for modifying housing for older adults must be based on a deeper understanding of their specific needs. During the policy formulation process and the implementation of specific housing improvement programs, emphasis should be placed on the social-historical aspects related to the lifestyle of each specific older adult.

The decades-long one-child policy in China has led to a growing number of older individuals with only one child. The Elderly Family Planning Subsidy (EFPS) policy was introduced to provide extra financial support to this group and was expanded nationwide in 2012. This study investigated the relationship between EFPS use and health among EFPS-eligible older Chinese using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A total of 1,981 respondents were eligible for EFPS (i.e. aged 60 and above, had only one child, or were rural residents with two daughters). Respondents self-reported if they received EFPS in 2011, 2013, and 2015 and were followed up to 2018. Propensity score matching was used to match EFPS non-users with users based on their probability of using EFPS. Among the EFPS-eligible respondents, 256 (12.92%) used the benefit. Analysis revealed no significant differences between EFPS users and non-users with respect to mortality and other health outcomes (i.e. self-reported health, cognition, activities of daily living, chronic diseases, and depressive symptoms). Findings do not provide evidence that EFPS improved the short-term health of older Chinese with only one child.