Providing for Older Parents: Is It a Family Affair?

PWP-CCPR-2010-012

Abstract

This paper considers how siblings coordinate help they provide parents, both at a point in time and over the longer run. Because few studies include information from siblings about their relationships with their parents and each other, it has been difficult to determine whether children coordinate care for their parents. We look within families and explore whether and how siblings share caregiving responsibilities, asking: What characteristics of siblings and their families predict whether siblings take turns helping parents? What factors affect the coordination of care as parents age? We use data on 1,523 families with more than one child and with a living parent from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Survey, a panel study of 1957 high school graduates and siblings and look at practical and socio-emotional help provided to parents. Findings show that nearly forty percent of parents receive help from more than one child in the form of practical or socio-emotional support. Our findings also suggest that daughters coordinate care that they and their siblings provide parents.