Does a Reduction in Receiving Assistance With Daily Activities Among Older Adults in Mexico Indicate An Increase in...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• The proportion of older adults in Mexico receiving family assistance for activities of daily living (ADL) appears to be declining.
• This trend raises questions about whether it signifies increasing unmet care needs or a reduction in the necessity for care among the elderly population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare two birth cohorts of older adults in Mexico to determine the reasons behind the decreasing trend in family-provided ADL assistance.
• To investigate if the observed trend indicates a rise in unmet caregiving needs or a decrease in the actual need for care.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, comparing participants aged 60-76 in 2001 and 2018.
• Utilized logistic regression to assess differences in ADL limitations and assistance between cohorts.
• Employed decomposition analysis to identify factors mediating the cohort differences in receiving help for ADL.

Main Results:

• The 2018 cohort exhibited higher odds of experiencing limitations in at least one ADL (aOR=1.85) but lower odds of receiving help for ADL (aOR=0.66).
• Factors such as fewer living children and a lower prevalence of probable dementia in the 2018 cohort partially explained the reduced assistance.
• Fewer children accounted for 9.34% and lower dementia prevalence for 43.7% of the cohort effect on receiving ADL help.

Conclusions:

• The decrease in ADL assistance for older Mexican adults may not solely indicate unmet needs.
• An increasing prevalence of ADL disability will likely lead to a greater number of older adults requiring informal care in the future.