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The Family Costs of Looking After Handicapped Elderly Relatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Muriel Nissel
Muriel Nissel
Affiliation:
Policy Studies Institute, 1–2 Castle Lane, London SW1E 6DR, England.
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Abstract

This article is principally concerned with the measurement and evaluation of the cost of the time which families devote to the care of handicapped elderly relatives living with them. One way of measuring the contribution is by means of time diaries which document the amount of time given to caring activities throughout the 24 hours of the day. How this was done in a small pilot study, carried out in Oxfordshire, England, is described. It is preceded by a brief general discussion of some of the factors which determine time use and by a description of the empirical findings from a few of the existing surveys. Some broad estimates of the indirect financial costs involved are offered, including an estimate using a different approach based on the loss of opportunity suffered by women who are prevented from undertaking paid work.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , June 1984 , pp. 185 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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References

NOTES

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