The use of support services by care providers of the aged

Provision of home care support services is currently propounded as a means of facilitating family care of the dependent aged. In this study, interviews were carried out with forty two providers of care and accommodation for an elderly relative. The data indicate that those careproviders who were extensive users of formal support services were also likely to express the need for still more help with their careproviding task. Although increased cost, level of co-operation from the elderly relative, and reluctance to introduce change into the routine of these dependants were cited as reasons for not satisfying the need for help, it is plausible that mutual dependency between the careproviders and the elderly relative also influenced service use. Recognition and acknowledgement of such a relationship has implications for the planning and delivery of home care support services.