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Cared and uncared populations: understanding unmet care needs of older adults (65+) across different social care systems in Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Mariana Calderón-Jaramillo

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
    Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED-CERCA) – Cerdanyola del Valles)

  • Pilar Zueras

    (Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED-CERCA) – Cerdanyola del Valles
    University of Essex)

Abstract

Population care needs are dynamic. They change throughout individuals’ life courses and are related to the population structure. These needs are particularly demanding during population ageing and may vary depending on how societies cope with them. In this study, we explored the unmet social care needs of individuals in twelve European countries with different social care systems. We used data from the seventh wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to conduct a cross-sectional study of individuals aged 65 and over with care needs (n = 7136). Unmet care needs were measured from an absolute approach. We fitted binomial regression models to explain the relative importance of individuals’ characteristics, health status and different social care systems on unmet needs. The absolute measure shows that 53.02% of the analytical sample faced unmet care needs as they reported limitations and did not receive help. The prevalence of unmet care needs is higher for men than women and for younger than older individuals. Furthermore, we found that individuals living in Mediterranean social care systems have the highest prevalence of these unmet needs. This analysis contributes to the ongoing debate about the challenges posed by ageing populations and their relationship with care.

Suggested Citation

  • Mariana Calderón-Jaramillo & Pilar Zueras, 2023. "Cared and uncared populations: understanding unmet care needs of older adults (65+) across different social care systems in Europe," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:20:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-023-00760-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-023-00760-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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