Ageing and Long-Term Informal Care: The Reality of Two Countries in Europe: Denmark and Portugal

Abstract

The knowledge of long-term informal care is particularly interesting for social and health measures related to ageing. This study aims to analyze how Portugal differs from Denmark regarding long-term informal care, specifically referring to personal care received by older people. A cross-sectional study was developed in Portugal and Denmark through the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2015, with a total of 2891 participants. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were performed. The findings suggest a significant association for older people from Portugal who receive long-term informal care from non-household caregivers and household caregivers. Moreover, as they age and are from Portugal, their availability to receive long-term informal care from non-household caregivers increases. Furthermore, older people in Portugal are more likely to receive long-term informal care from a household caregiver. It is important to take a closer look at long-term informal care in both countries and think about healthy ageing policies in the current context of the ageing population. This study provides knowledge about disaggregated health data on ageing in the European region, helping to fill research gaps related to older people.