Long-term care benefits granted to the elderly in Andalusia

ABSTRACT

Using data from the Individual Care Programmes (PIAs) of the whole population of dependent elderly receiving LTC benefits as of 31 December 2014 in the most populated region of Spain, Andalusia, we compare the factors associated with the different types of LTC benefits granted. The study includes 110,966 dependent elderly aged 65 years and over. The percentage of those receiving care at their homes was very high (80%). In contrast to the main aim established in the Dependency Act, financial benefits for care at home were the most common type of benefit (47%) followed by home-based support (33%). Overall, all the determinants examined (age, gender, income, degree of dependency and type of municipality) were found to influence all types of LTC benefits with two exceptions: age in the case of long-term residential care and gender in the case of day and night centres. Our analysis suggests that income level is a key factor for being cared for at an institution but the direction of the relationship is different for private and public institutions. This fact, together with the variations in the access to institutional care depending on where the person lives, points out that a greater effort is necessary to guarantee an adequate supply. Social workers could help to improve the current LTC system if more resources are available when they participate in the design of PIAs.

RESUMEN

Empleando datos de los Programas Individuales de Atención (PIAs) de toda la población de mayores dependientes que recibían prestaciones para cuidados de larga duración (CLD) a 31 de Diciembre de 2014 en la región más poblada de España, Andalucía, comparamos los factores asociados a los diferentes tipos de prestaciones concedidas. El estudio incluye a 110.966 dependientes mayores de 65 años. El porcentaje de aquellos que recibían cuidados en el hogar era muy elevado (80%). En contraposición al objetivo principal establecido en la Ley de Dependencia, las prestaciones económicas eran las más comunes (47%) seguidas de la ayuda a domicilio (33%). En general, se encontró que todos los determinantes examinados (edad, género, renta, grado de dependencia y tipo de municipio) influyen sobre todas las clases de prestaciones para CLD con dos únicas excepciones: la edad en la atención residencial y el género en el caso de los centros de día y noche. Nuestro análisis sugiere que el nivel de renta es un factor clave a la hora de recibir cuidados en una institución pero el sentido de la relación es distinto en instituciones privadas y públicas. Este hecho, junto con las variaciones en el acceso al cuidado institucional dependiendo de dónde vive la persona, apuntan que es necesario un mayor esfuerzo para garantizar una oferta adecuada. Los trabajadores sociales pueden ayudar a mejorar el actual sistema de CLD siempre que dispongan de más recursos cuando participan en el diseño de los PIAs

KEYWORDS:

• Long-term care
• individual care programmes
• dependency
• elderly

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Cuidados de larga duración
• programas individuales de atención
• dependencia
• mayores

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Mercedes Rodríguez is lecturer at the Department of International and Spanish Economics and researcher at the Institute of Regional Development of the University of Granada. Her main research interests include services, both business services and social-related services. She has participated in several national and regional projects on dependency and published, among others, in European Journal of Public Health, Technovation, Service Business and Economics of Innovation and New Technology.

José A. Camacho Ballesta is professor at the Department of International and Spanish Economics and director of the Institute of Regional Development of the University of Granada. His present research interests cover the role of services, in particular, knowledge-based and social-related services on welfare and development. He has directed several national and regional projects on dependency and published papers, among others, in Regional and Sectoral Economic Studies, Post-Communist Economies or European and Planning Studies.

Antonio V. Lozano- Peña is lecturer at the Department of Economic Theory and History of the University of Malaga. His research interests include public economics and, in particular, social and gender policies. He has worked as a private consultant and occupied different positions at the regional government of Andalusia.

ORCID

Mercedes Rodríguez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0524-7737

José Antonio Camacho Ballesta http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9786-5400

Notes

1. For instance, in the case of remote services those persons aged less than 80 years and with an income equal or higher than 75% IPREM have to pay for 20% of the cost of these services.