Estimating the quantity and economic value of family caregiving for community-dwelling older persons in the last year of life.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the quantity and economic value of informal care provided to older persons during their final year of life in the community.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of publicly available nationally representative survey data.


METHODS
This retrospective study used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal study of community-dwelling older people.


METHODS
Older people who died between 2000 and 2002.


METHODS
Data were extracted from the 2002 "exit survey" and linked with characteristics of caregivers from the helper file. Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate hours of informal caregiving for community-dwelling older people (N=990). Adjusted hours were multiplied by the 2002 national average home aide wage (9.16 USD per hour). Sensitivity tests were performed using the 10th percentile wage rate (6.56 USD) and 90th percentile wage rate (12.34 USD).


RESULTS
Older people who died in the community received on average 65.8 hours per week of informal care in the last year of life. The estimated economic value ranges from 22,514 USD to 42,351 USD, which is equivalent to the annual direct replacement cost with a home aide in 2002.


CONCLUSIONS
Family members provide substantial assistance during the last year of life for older people who die in the community. If the informal care provided in the last year of life is replaced with a home aide, the total economic value for the United States would be approximately 1.4 billion USD (in 2002).
Rhee
YongJoo
Y
Mental Health Services and Policy Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, 710 Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60611, USA. y-rhee@north-western.edu
Degenholtz
Howard B
HB
Lo Sasso
Anthony T
AT
Emanuel
Linda L
LL
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D018576:Home Health Aides; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States