The transfer of resources from middle-aged children to functionally limited elderly parents: Providing time, giving money, sharing space

The transfer of resources from middle-aged children to their functionally l imited elderly parents is addressed from the perspective of the children wh o may allocate time to caregiving, share household space, and give money to parents. A simultaneous-equations model estimates the extent to which the three modes of transfer are interdependent, given the parents' needs for re sources and the children's ability to provide them. Caregiving is the prima ry mode of resource transfer and is of overriding importance for individual s who depend daily on help from other persons. Coresidence and financial as sistance complement direct human assistance and, at the margin, have a subs tantially large effect on caregiving time. It is, therefore, relevant to co nsider all modes of transfer in order to better understand how families acc ommodate the needs of their frail and disabled members.