Informal helpers of elderly home care clients

Most functionally impaired elderly people rely exclusively on family and other informal helpers. This article examines whether elderly people who turn to formal service providers also receive help from informal sources. A sample of 100 clients of a statewide home care program were interviewed about the informal help they received. Most had family, friends, or neighbors who helped. However, the helping networks were fragile. Only 18 percent of clients had a helping spouse. Only half had more than one helper. Several had only nonkin helpers. Few had a helper living with them. The fragility of these helping networks, compared with those identified in other studies, may explain why these elderly people applied for services. Implications for the respective roles of social services programs and natural support networks are discussed.