Researchers at the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, have been looking at the impact of caregiving on older female carers in Europe.
Caring for a close family member can bring distress, as well as psychological rewards, and impacts on the caregiver’s quality of life and health.
The researchers found that the impact on quality of life and health depends on carers’ geographical location, the degree of formal care provided and specific cultural and social factors of the area.
For example, the results showed that carers in Northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands) and Central Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium) rate their own health higher than non-carers while in the South (Spain, Greece and Italy) there is no significant difference.
The researchers suggest that these differences are due to the provision of formal care, with carers with more formal support structures rating their health as better than non-carers.
There is also a North-South difference in quality of life, with caregivers in Central Europe and the South experiencing feelings of more self-realisation and pleasure, but those in Central Europe feeling less autonomous and in control.
The researchers suggest that policies for supporting carers should take into account the cultural and social norms of a country. Rowena Jacobs, one of the researchers, said: “Our findings suggest that formulating effective policies across Europe could be particularly challenging and shows the importance of ensuring that policy should be tailored to match the needs of individual carers in their own geographical areas and cultural contexts.”
Download ‘The quality of life of female informal caregivers: from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Sea‘ by Centre for Health Economics from The University of York website.
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