A longitudinal analysis of nursing home placement for dependent elders cared for by spouses vs adult children

Five-wave panel data from 531 informal caregivers and frail elders were analyzed using an event history framework to identify how changes in the caregiving situation are related to nursing home placement. The results indicate that the predictors of placement differ substantially for elders cared for by spouses vs those cared for by adult children. In addition, the findings suggest dramatically different descriptions of the caregiving role over time for the two groups of caregivers. There were differences not only in the conditions under which caregiving ends, but also apparent differences in when caregiving begins and how it is perceived by the caregiver. Differences in the probability of placement of elders cared for by spouses vs adult children are interpreted within the framework of these contextual differences in the caregiving role.