How do we measure unmet need for social care in later life?
How do we measure unmet need for social care in later life?
Recent spending cuts in the area of adult social care raise policy concerns about the proportion of older people whose need for social care is not met. Such concerns are emphasised in the context of population ageing and other demographic changes, for example in the living arrangements of older people, which can place greater pressure on formal and informal systems of care and support provision. However, the concept of ‘unmet need’ is challenging in terms of its definition and measurement, as it can include objective notions of access and use of services, as well as subjective notions of expectations, satisfaction and want. This paper explores the concept of ‘unmet need’ and its operationalisation through national cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the General Household Survey and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Following attendance of this presentation, participants will be enabled to: firstly, understand the link between literature in social policy and the concept of ‘unmet need’ in the British policy context; secondly, assess evidence from the GHS and the ELSA which illustrate patterns of unmet need for social care among older people and which explore the relative importance of demographic and socio-economic characteristics in such differentials; and thirdly, understand the policy implications of the findings in the context of significant demographic and policy change in the UK.
Vlachantoni, Athina
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Shaw, Richard
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Willis, Rosalind
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Evandrou, Maria
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Falkingham, Jane
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Luff, Rebekah
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14 November 2012
Vlachantoni, Athina
06a52fbb-f2a0-4c81-9fbc-d6efc736c6cb
Shaw, Richard
298c2aed-130e-4580-af23-1032d29e16f7
Willis, Rosalind
dd2e5e10-58bf-44ca-9c04-f355f3af26ba
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Luff, Rebekah
b12da7ec-5b6b-4928-9993-c0228cf140b5
Vlachantoni, Athina, Shaw, Richard, Willis, Rosalind, Evandrou, Maria, Falkingham, Jane and Luff, Rebekah
(2012)
How do we measure unmet need for social care in later life?
65th Annual Conference of the Gerontological Society of America (2012).
14 - 18 Nov 2012.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Recent spending cuts in the area of adult social care raise policy concerns about the proportion of older people whose need for social care is not met. Such concerns are emphasised in the context of population ageing and other demographic changes, for example in the living arrangements of older people, which can place greater pressure on formal and informal systems of care and support provision. However, the concept of ‘unmet need’ is challenging in terms of its definition and measurement, as it can include objective notions of access and use of services, as well as subjective notions of expectations, satisfaction and want. This paper explores the concept of ‘unmet need’ and its operationalisation through national cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the General Household Survey and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Following attendance of this presentation, participants will be enabled to: firstly, understand the link between literature in social policy and the concept of ‘unmet need’ in the British policy context; secondly, assess evidence from the GHS and the ELSA which illustrate patterns of unmet need for social care among older people and which explore the relative importance of demographic and socio-economic characteristics in such differentials; and thirdly, understand the policy implications of the findings in the context of significant demographic and policy change in the UK.
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Published date: 14 November 2012
Venue - Dates:
65th Annual Conference of the Gerontological Society of America (2012), 2012-11-14 - 2012-11-18
Organisations:
Gerontology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 356110
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/356110
PURE UUID: 1c147bb4-1c08-4377-92ae-b2e645baf17a
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Date deposited: 16 Sep 2013 15:44
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:38
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Contributors
Author:
Richard Shaw
Author:
Rebekah Luff
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