The Impact of the Frequency of Care Activities on the Division of Labor between Primary Caregivers and Other Care Providers

Abstract

This study examines the division of labor between primary caregivers and other (formal and informal) care providers of elderly and dementia care recipients. Its main focus is on showing how the allocation of care activities among care providers is affected by the sheer quantity of care provided (measured in terms of frequency of care activities across 25 care tasks). Results support the hypothesis that patterns of cooperation and specialization between the primary caregiver and other helpers are more strongly influenced by the frequency of care involvement than by any other social factors, including caregiver gender, employment, and living arrangements. Even when faced with high care demands, caregivers appear to be reluctant to give up control. Instead of specialization, the preferred pattern of cooperation is supplementation, with other helpers assisting in the same care tasks as the primary caregiver.