The United Kingdom

Abstract

Over the last 20 years there has been a marked shift in responsibilities for the care of frail older people in the UK, with family members increasingly expected to provide (or pay for) social support and personal care, and with formal care services only stepping in when these informal sources are unavailable. Eighty per cent of older people who need help with domestic tasks rely exclusively on family and informal help (Wittenberg et al. 1998). Indeed, family members are now increasingly involved in providing medical and nursing care as well as social support (Warner and Wexler, 1998). A 1995 national survey estimated that 4 per cent of all adults are providing substantial amounts of help to a relative or friend. It is important to note that 13 per cent of all older people (11 per cent of older men and 14 per cent of older women) are themselves family care givers to another frail or disabled person (Office for National Statistics, 1998).