(HealthDay News) — Gray market care represents a substantial proportion of paid, long-term care for older adults, according to a study published online June 11 in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
Regina A. Shih, Ph.D., from the RAND Corp. in Arlington, VA, and colleagues surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,037 American Life Panel adult respondents to estimate the national prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of gray market utilization, defined as paid providers for aging and dementia-related long-term care who are unrelated to the care recipient, not working for a regulated agency, and potentially unscreened and untrained.
The researchers found that nearly one-third of Americans who arranged paid care sought gray market care for persons with dementia, and nearly two-thirds (65%) combined it with unpaid care. Respondents who arranged gray market care had lower odds of currently working (66%). Additionally, respondents arranging gray market care and living in rural areas had almost five-times higher odds of arranging gray market care for dementia.
“Gray market care represents a substantial proportion of paid, long-term care for older adults and may fill gaps in access to care,” Shih said in a statement. “Better understanding of the use of gray market caregivers for older Americans is important to meet the needs of the nation’s aging population.”
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