Determining the primary caregiver for disabled older adults in Mainland China: spouse priority and living arrangements

Researchers have widely discussed the key role of having a spouse and proximity of family in the provision of elder care, but the relationship between kinship and living arrangements in primary caregiver selection has not been fully examined. Based on the 2011-2012 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, multinomial logistic regression models were built to test the effects of kinship and living arrangements on primary caregiver selection. This study found that spouses were most likely to assume the primary caregiver role, even when the elderly couple lived with their adult children. This study suggests that more social services should be provided to support spousal caregivers, and that the different needs of spouse and adult child caregivers should be considered in interventions. Practitioner points Be mindful that the prevalence of non co-residence between aging parents and adult children affects the provision of elder care Support programmes should be developed for spousal caregivers Be aware of the different needs of spouse and adult child caregivers when designing family interventions for them