Sammanfattning
An ageing population correlates with rising needs for long-term care (LTC). Support programmes
should consider the specific needs of the various subgroups of care dependents and family
caregivers. The objective of this study was to analyse the gender-specific disparities in home-care
arrangements in Germany, and for this purpose, survey and insurance claims data were used. A
survey of 2545 insured care recipients with high-level care needs was conducted in 2012 with the
Barmer GEK, a major German statutory healthcare insurance. Insurance claims data were provided
for a follow-up, focussing on the group aged 60 years and older. For statistical comparison, chi-
squared test and t-tests were used, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Most care recipients are female, and they are on average 2 years older than males. Men receive
family care mostly from their wives, whereas widows frequently live alone and receive care from
daughters, sons, other relatives, neighbours and friends, as well as from professional nursing
services. Furthermore, women more often anticipate the need for (further) professional assistance
and move in with a relative or to an assisted living facility or a nursing home in good time. The
desired rate for relocation to a nursing home was higher than the anticipated, and during the 6-month
follow-up, the actual rate of relocations was in between both. In summary, the caring situation of men
and women is different. Care-receiving men are most often cared for by their wives. Widowed women
need a social network and their children in order to remain in their own home. To provide better
home-care arrangements for women in this situation, the family and social networks need a stronger
focus in politics and research. To stabilise the home-care situation of men with high-level care needs,
their wives need more support. Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.