The willingness of informal carers of older people to continue caring : results of the EUROFAMCARE study

• Objectives: The willingness to continue in the caregiving role has been shown to be one of the most significant factors in the breakdown of family care of an older person. Willingness to care was considered in the EUROFAMCARE study, which examined the characteristics of caregiving in six European countries. Methods: Nearly 6000 informal carers of older people (n = 1000 in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Poland and the UK) were recruited using a shared sampling protocol and interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Logistic regression procedures determined the best model of willingness to care in each country. Results: Between 29% and 14% of the variance in willingness to care was explained by the models. No single variable was significant in the models across all countries, but the negative impact of care was associated with low willingness in five countries, while being a son/daughter carer was associated with high willingness in four. The category of variables that explained the most variance in willingness to care was ‘caregiving circumstances and relationships’. Conclusions: If a carer's motivation for caregiving is to be maintained, support for carers must adequately address any negative impact of their role, and use a relationship-centred approach.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Work (hsv//eng)

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