Informal and formal care among single-living elderly in Europe

The aims of this study were (1) to analyse whether informal care, provided by children or grandchildren to their elderly parents, and formal care are substitutes or complements, and (2) whether this relationship differs across Europe. The analyses were based on thenewly developed SHARE (Survey of Health, Age, and Retirement in Europe) database.We found (1) that informal- and formal home care are substitutes, while informal care is a complement to doctor- and hospital visits, and (2) that these relationships in some cases differ according to a European north-south gradient.