title: [Caring friends and neighbors as informal caregivers of older adults: A comparison with offspring].
abstract: This study compared informal care to older, non-coresiding adults provided by friends and neighbours and informal care by children or their partners. Using data from a Dutch representative survey among informal caregivers conducted by CBS and SCP, caregivers of friends (n=133), neighbours (n=108) and parents (n=1,008) were compared with one another to investigate care that friends and neighbours provide to the elderly non-coresiding adults (age 55 and over). Nine percent of those providing care to someone outside the household were friends and nine percent were neighbours. Friends, like children, usually provide long-lasting care, up to four or five years. Friends are similar to neighbours in the number of hours that they provide care. Friends and neighbours experience a lower caregiver burden than children. However, when fulfilling multiple caring tasks, both friends and children, have a greater chance of experiencing higher levels of burden. When there were other caregivers to help, friends experienced a small reduction in burden. Friends and neighbours deserve to be recognized as informal caregivers by policy makers and they deserve attention and support along with family caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Socioaal en Cultureel Planbureau, Den Haag.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Egging
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult