Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 10884 FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS & INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFERS Hughes et al. (2004) used six waves of HRS data to examine different types of grandparent caregiving and changes in caregiver health. The researchers distinguished between grandparents who provided care to grandchildren who did not live with them and those whose grandchildren lived with them. They determined that grandpar- ents who provided a considerable amount of care to non-resident grandchildren did so because of desire and resources, while grandparents who co-resided with grandchildren often did so because some family crisis had made this a necessity. The study found that co-residence with grandparents is relatively uncommon. In 1998, for example, only 5 percent of HRS participants lived with grandchildren, mostly in three-generation households. HRS data consistently show that grandparents who provide little if any direct care to their grandchildren are in better health than those who do provide care, especially compared with those who live with their grandchildren. This relationship holds true for both self-rated health and number of depressive symptoms (Figure 4-8). However, few changes in health were found over time among the different groups. The researchers con- clude that differences in the physical or emotional health of grandparent caregivers are a function of the underlying characteristics that lead them to provide care, rather than negative health effects due to providing care. Grandparents’ Care of Grandchildren Descriptive studies from several datasets have indicated the growing importance of the grandpar- ent-grandchild care relationship. However, few surveys are large enough to explore this relation- ship in any detail. Early HRS results showed that roughly two-thirds of participants had grandchil- dren, and that 40 percent of these grandparents provided 100 or more hours of grandchild care per year. Women were about 2.5 times more likely than men to provide grandchild care, and single grandmothers provided the most help (about 20 hours per week on average). policy interventions aimed at reducing the impact of dementia on individuals, families, and society. The main alternative to informal family-based care is paid care either in the home or in a nursing home. Long-term care insurance can help cover such costs, but it is purchased by relatively few older adults. One question that arises is whether or not the expectation of care from children is a factor reducing the demand for long-term care insurance. One study using HRS data found that expectations about future caregiver availability in the form of family and friends had no significant effect on ownership of long-term care insurance (Mellor 2001). FIG. 4-8 grandparent health, by level of care provision to grandchildren: 1998-2002 Notes: Self-rated health is assessed on a 5-point scale ranging from excellent (5) to poor (0). Data refer to persons who made the transition to a type of care between 1998 and 2000 and/or between 2000 and 2002. Source: Hughes et al. 2004. Self-Rated Health Number of Depressive Symptoms 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 Occasional Care No Care Living with Child & Grandchild Living with Grandchild Only