Being dependent rather than disabled in France: does the institutional barrier at 60 affect care arrangements?

Author: Marianne Tenand                Published: September 2015

While individuals having difficulties with the activities of daily living may benefit from public home care subsidies, the French system distinguishes between disability schemes, accessible to individuals below 60, and dependence schemes, open to those aged 60 or more. The author assessed whether this institutional threshold has an impact on care utilization rates among individuals with impairments living in the community. The French Health and Disability Survey on Households (HSM) was used and a sample of individuals aged 50 to 74 with restrictions in ADL or IADL and living at home. Fitting a bivariate probit model to account for the simultaneity of formal and informal care utilization decisions, the findings indicate that being a “dependent elderly” rather than a “disabled adult” increases the non-medical formal care utilization rate, by about 6 to 10 percentage points. There is also some evidence that the distinction between disability and dependence schemes has an impact on living arrangements, as individuals above 60 are more likely to live in an institution on a permanent basis.

 

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