Care providers, care receivers: a longitudinal perspective

This report analyses the characteristics of people who provide unpaid care to family and friends, and characteristics associated with becoming a caregiver. It also looks at trends in the movement of older people into nursing or residential homes or ‘supported’ private households. Unpaid carers play an essential part in supporting people with assistance needs. This report provides information that will inform policy and enable appropriate support of these carers. The report begins with an overview of caregiving in England and Wales, examines the geographical distribution of caregivers by local authority, and maps poor health and deprivation among carers. It then focuses on: - family characteristics and education among carers in their 20s, - mid-life carers, examining their employment and health characteristics, - co-resident care for elderly parents, - caregiving among older couple, - characteristics of older people moving to live with relatives or into institutional care. This study, based on Census data over a thirty-year period, will be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in central and local government, voluntary organisations, employers and researchers.