HOME CARE FOR THE URBAN CHRONICALLY ILL ELDERLY IN THE PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA

This study examines the home care situation of seventy-five urban chro nically ill men and women and their caregivers in three cities in the People's Republic of China. It documents the type of home care provide d, the severity of illness, and the dependency in activities of daily living in order to appreciate the complexity of these care situations. The findings reveal that women serve as the caregivers in the majorit y of the cases and often they are elderly spouses with health problems of their own. The physical, social, psychological, and financial prob lems experienced by these patients create an enormous burden for the c aregivers whether spouses or younger family members coming home from w ork to a second shift. If alternatives to home care, such as nursing h omes, were available, 54 percent of these caregivers would be willing to institutionalize their elderly relative. All caregivers express the need for more assistance in providing home care. This study raises qu estions regarding the role of the family, the state, and specifically the health cart. system in caring for the elderly chronically ill in l ight of their increasing numbers in the population.