Elderly spouses also provide much of the care for dementia sufferers in the community.
The proportion of dual private pension households, where both spouses have private pension coverage, is 28 per cent.
Family members were defined as first-degree relatives (spouse, parents, children, siblings) of cancer patients.
Interviews were conducted with addicted parents and, where consent was provided, also with their children, spouses, and other first-degree relatives.
These households were primarily feminine households with no spouses, sons, grandsons, brothers or other male kin, although several had male servants.
As the age of care recipients increases, the proportion of care-giving spouses decreases and the proportion of care-giving children increases.
This is a timely and important reminder of the emotional and practical difficulties experienced by partners and spouses when the problem of care-home admission presents.
These dimensions included spouse problems, spouse support, relative problems, relative support, friend problems, friend support, confidants and social integration.
