Informal Caregiving: Implications for Healthcare Expenditures

Introduction: Informal caregivers are family, friends, and neighbors who provide assistance to people in need of care without pay. Caregivers play a critical role patients’ care. Care provided by informal is often seen as lower cost substitute formal their contributions assumed take strain off the system. Caregivers, however, report significant consequences such decline health higher use healthcare services due caregiving responsibilities. While many studies have explored these outcomes using self-reported measures, administrative databases substantiate claims rare. The objective this study was examine impact on utilization amongst caregivers.Methods: outcome total expenditures for publicly funded Ontario, Canada. population consists Ontarians a) participated 2008/09 Canadian Community Health Survey – Aging Supplement (CCHS-HAS) b) consent link survey results databases. exposure measured primary caregiver that started within 5 years date completed; comparison group those did not self-identify CCHS-HAS. Total costs non-caregivers were compared pre versus post reported start difference-in-differences design. Both one two-year periods examined. period 2002 2011. Generalized Linear Models used model costs. Sensitivity analyses conducted test robustness results.Results: sample 1265 3010 non-caregivers. average age 62.6 67.7 non-caregivers, respectively. Nearly 60% 54% female. After adjusting confounders, it found while caregivers’ associated with increased over time, had negative less than In first year after difference 3% but statistically significant. This, changed time; 8% 11% became Discussion: Despite overwhelming evidence declining caregiving, we lesser amount If has similarly improved relative suggests may time ensure own medical needs addressed.Conclusions: Our findings suggest careful consideration when designing implementing interventions integrated models.Lessons learned: By providing an estimation expenditure implications offer alternative method be considered economic evaluations system, evaluation studies, economics, studies. Limitations: main limitation status timing based self-report which could incorrectly classify bias estimates cost. Lack specific data characteristics (e.g. hours provided) introduced our results.Future research: More research different jurisdictions populations required findings.