The Availability of Care for Late-Middle-Aged Adults With Chronic ...

These differences are reflected in the caregiving literature that shows differences in the type, structure, and amount of care across race and ethnicity (e.g., Dilworth-Anderson, Williams, & Gibson, 2002; Stommel, Given, & Given, 1998; Wallace, Levy-Storms, Kington, & Andersen, 1998). For instance, Whites are more likely than Blacks to receive all of their care from a sole individual, rather than share caregiving tasks across two or more people (Stommel et al., 1998). But, while Blacks may have greater numbers of caregivers overall, they are more likely than Whites to receive no care at all and inadequate amounts of care when care is provided (Lima & Allen, 2001). Alternatively, Hispanics are as likely as Whites to have a caregiver, but more likely to receive inadequate care when care is provided (Lima & Allen).

Risks and Consequences of Inadequate Care

As DeJong and Brannont (1998) pointed out, studies of personal care that include nonelderly persons are generally based on the need for, rather than the utilization of, such care. Results point to differences in levels of unmet need that may be attributable to the life stage and cohort differences between late-middle-aged and elderly adults described earlier (Allen & Mor, 1997; LaPlante et al., 2004; Lima & Allen, 2001). Allen and Mor found that increased levels of unmet need for IADLs and transportation help for respondents less than 65 compared with 65 and older were explained by financial problems among the younger group.

This finding was further supported by Allen and Mor (1997), who compared differences in the levels of unmet need for assistance with transportation and nutrition services between the working-aged and elderly adults to levels of support services used.