Do older adults with disability face home care poverty? Evidence from China

Home care poverty is the inability of older people to access adequate home care services and their unmet needs for home care. With the increasing number of older adults (60 years old and above) with disability in China, the Chinese government pays more and more attention to home care. In this case, it is of great significance to explore whether older adults with the disability face home care poverty and its influencing factors. The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) data in 2018 were utilized. SPSS 22.0 was used as a data analysis tool to conduct descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis on the sample (n = 1932). The study found that in 2018, 48.0% of older adults with disability faced home care poverty. Multiple logistic regression results showed that degree of disability, age, rural and non-eastern regions, income poverty, family caregiver, and reluctant caregivers were positive factors that increased the risk of home care poverty in disabled older adults (p < .05). But care duration, care expenditure, social pensions insurance, community daily life care and community medical services are the positive factors to eliminate the home care poverty for older adults with disability (p < .05). In order to solve the problem of home care poverty of older adults with disability, based on the research conclusions, the study proposed to establish a long-term care insurance system, formulate supportive policies for family caregivers or their families, and establish a wide variety of community care services.