Raphael Wittenberg
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781447305057
- eISBN:
- 9781447311539
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447305057.003.0002
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Urban Geography
This chapter considers the drivers of demand for care and support for older people and trends in those drivers. It concentrates on trends in disability and in household composition and unpaid care. ...
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This chapter considers the drivers of demand for care and support for older people and trends in those drivers. It concentrates on trends in disability and in household composition and unpaid care. The chapter sets the scene for discussions in later chapters. Understanding the drivers of demand is crucial in the context of concerns about the future affordability of care for older people. Demand for formal care depends on a range of factors including: needs in terms of disability, prices of services, incomes, availability of unpaid care, the funding system for public programmes and personal preferences. There is ongoing debate about whether as life expectancy rises the period of life with disability will rise, fall or remain broadly constant. Different countries have experienced different trends and may continue to experience different trends in the future. The future trend in availability of unpaid care is also a crucial influence on future demand for formal care.Less
This chapter considers the drivers of demand for care and support for older people and trends in those drivers. It concentrates on trends in disability and in household composition and unpaid care. The chapter sets the scene for discussions in later chapters. Understanding the drivers of demand is crucial in the context of concerns about the future affordability of care for older people. Demand for formal care depends on a range of factors including: needs in terms of disability, prices of services, incomes, availability of unpaid care, the funding system for public programmes and personal preferences. There is ongoing debate about whether as life expectancy rises the period of life with disability will rise, fall or remain broadly constant. Different countries have experienced different trends and may continue to experience different trends in the future. The future trend in availability of unpaid care is also a crucial influence on future demand for formal care.
