Racial and Sociodemographic Differences in Formal Support Among Older Adult Caregivers

Background and Purpose: The vast majority of caregiver research views older adults as care recipients. However, studies of older adults as caregivers are underdeveloped. Further, while the extant older caregiver research focuses mostly on non-Hispanic white populations, less is known about older caregivers from racial/ethnic minority groups. Formal support (i.e., organizations or agencies that provide help or a service to the caregiver) is particularly important for older caregivers, who may be coping with their own age-related health concerns, because they may not have enough capacity to fully meet caregiving demands. This study aims to examine racial difference and other socio-demographic factors associated with formal support, focusing on service receipt, needs, and barriers to service access for older African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white caregivers.

Methods: The analysis was based on a nationally representative sample from the 2015 Caregiving in the U.S. Survey (N = 983). Analyses were based on a subsample of caregivers aged 50 or older. Caregivers reported whether they had received any of six services. They also reported the number of services that they need for providing care to others. Regarding service barrier, caregivers rated the difficulty of getting affordable services on a 5-point scale. Socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers include age, gender, education, income, marital status, co-residence of the care recipient in the caregiver’s home, relationship of care recipients to caregivers, and household size. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to test the aims of the study.

Results: The findings revealed racial differences in formal support among older caregivers. Compared to white caregivers, African American caregivers received more services. Moreover, African American and Hispanic caregivers had fewer service needs than their white counterparts. Regarding the socio-demographic correlates of formal support, older age and providing care to non-kin were associated with fewer service barriers. Caregivers who were not residing with their care recipients had more service needs. Compared to caregivers of parents, caregivers of other relatives or non-kin received fewer services but expressed more service needs.

Conclusions and Implications: Overall, the findings demonstrate the importance of sociodemographic context when investigating the formal support of older caregivers. Further, the study makes important contributions to the extant literature on minority older caregivers. Specifically, it sheds new light on racial difference in formal support. While previous studies showed that minorities have limited use in formal services, this study suggested otherwise. Future research should explore the unique mechanisms facilitating formal support among minority older caregivers. In addition, this study has implications for social work practice. By identifying demographic profiles of formal support, the study helps social workers identify older caregivers who have less access and greater needs for social services, and target resources to these particular individuals accordingly.