Question

1.Define and distinguish between informal, quasi and formal social support. Provide an example of each. How do these interface? 2.What are advantages and disadvantages of informal social support for older adults. For the caregivers. Provide specific examples of the effect on the well-being family members who are care givers 3. Given the increasing older adult population and increased life expectancy, how will the interface of the different types of social support change?

Answer 1

An detailed survey was conducted by the independent association of either informal or formal social support with caregiver burden, then the relationship between social support from each source and caregiver burden was surveyed, and then the finally, relationship between the number of available sources of social support and caregiver burden was conducted.

Data were derived from the Caregiver Survey. A postal survey of all caregivers of physically and

individual observations were used in the analysis. In doing so the caregiver burden was measured

using a validated scale. This scale consists of subscales, like the subjective caregiver burden,

intention to continue caregiving, and social norms toward caregiving. Thus the subjective caregiver

burden came out as the outcome in this study.

The study defined informal social support as support from the caregiver’s family living together, children living apart, relatives, friends, neighbors, and other non-professionals. The study also defined formal social support as support from the caregiver’s family physicians, care managers, home-helpers, visiting nurses, public health nurses, social workers, officers in public institutions, and other professionals.

The study further assessed the sense regarding use of public caregiving services, asking caregivers to rate the degree to which they are using public services for caregiving due to social pressures from relatives and neighbors. To which the respondents were asked to select all the formal in-home care services they were using the potential services.

The regression models were used to examine the impact of informal and formal social support on caregiver burden scores. The study conducted different analyses, the existence of perceived social support, perceived social support from each source and the number of available sources of social support as explanatory variables.

While considering the models, caregiver’s burden score and caregiver’s age were treated as continuous variables. Other variables were treated as categorical variables and other models were used as dummy variables.

Finally, the descriptive statistics showed that caregivers who were female, earning more income, caring for a longer duration, and having a sub-caregiver were more likely to report having one informal social support. Caregivers who were not cohabitating with care recipients, who had longer caregiving time, and had a sub-caregiver were more likely to report having at least one formal social support.

This study has important public health implications. It was important to reduce caregiver burden, increasing social support from caregivers’ intimate relationships and family physicians. This concluded that the present findings, informal social support is required regardless of the availability of formal social support.