What will the family composition of older persons be like tomorrow? A comparison of Canada and France.
Western societies are experiencing a dramatic growth in the population aged 75 and older. Changes in family composition raise questions about who will care for those who need assistance. We compared population projections to the year 2030 of those families aged 75 and older in Canada and France. Over the next 25 years, the pool of potential family carers, (i.e., spouses and children), will broaden from the effect of the baby boom and increased proportion of women with spouses. The populations most dependent on formal care, with no potential support from a child or a spouse, will increase more sharply in Canada (123%) than in France (34%) but at a slower rate than the total population. Policy and programs in both countries will need to prepare for a greater number of elderly spouses providing care and in Canada, at least, a significant increase in the number that will need to rely on formal services.
Gaymu
Joëlle
J
Institut national d'études démographiques (INED), Paris Cedex 20. gaymu@ined.fr
Busque
Marc-Antoine
MA
Légaré
Jacques
J
Décarie
Yann
Y
Vézina
Samuel
S
Keefe
Janice
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008954:Models, Biological; D012944:Social Support