The Report of Transnational Survey Concerning on Expectations and Visions of Elderly Care Among People Ranging in Age from 50 to 59 Years Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Hungary 28.1.2004 Toward Active Old Age project Hanna Hyttinen, PhD Principal Lecturer Satakunta Polytechnic School of Social and Health Care
Contents Introduction...4 2. Respondents...4 3. Elderly care in the future...11 4. Summary...19 4.1. Respondents...19 4.2. Elderly care in the future...21 5. Discussion...23 References...25
Introduction The questionnaire was drawn up in co-operation during the project meetings on January 16 20, 2002 and October 9 13, 2002. The questions base on the principles of the report of the Madrid meeting called International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002 and the strategic implementation plan called Regional Implementation Strategy for the European Region based on the report. The questionnaire was written in English and the representatives of each four countries translated it into their national languages. A test survey was done in the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary and Finland in December 2002; totally 72 respondents participated in this. The results of this test survey were analysed in the meeting on the March 3 16, 2003. Differences between each participating country and possible differences in the translations were taken into consideration. Totally 44 questions were chosen to the final survey: 16 of them were Likert scale questions, six dichotomy, 18 multiplechoice and two open ended questions. The proper survey was done in the same countries. In each country, the partnering polytechnic distributed the questionnaires for the students, who took them to their parents ranging in age from 50 to 59 years. The objective was 300 responses from each participating country. It was supposed that the parents of the students of social and health care, in polytechnic or at university, represent a cross section of the local population. It was decided to give up the thought about a randomised sample based on demographic statistics because it was not possible to have this statistical information in all these countries. The responses were analysed in Finland in summer 2003. Some questionnaires were rejected because the respondents did not belong to the pre-set age group (from 50 to 59 years). Totally 17 questionnaires were rejected, 8 from the Netherlands, 2 from Poland, 2 from Hungary and 5 from Finland. In addition, 13 respondents (1.1) did not tell their age. However, their responses were included in the data. The responses were analysed by using the SSPS software. Frequency distributions and cross-tabulations were computed from the data by using the respondents countries as the first grouping variable and the other variables were utilised later. Significance of the differences was evaluated by using the Pearson s khi 2. 2. Respondents Totally 1154 responses were received, the majority of them from Finland (n=306) and the minority of them from the Netherlands (n=269) (Table 1). Table 1. The number of respondents in each country. ry f FI 306 26.5 NL 269 23.3 PL 297 25.7 HU 282 24.4 Totally 1154 Totally, 782 (67.8) of the respondents were female and 366 (31.7) male (Table 2). Six respondents did not tell their gender (0.5). The number of female respondents in the Polish data (76.8) was relatively higher than in other countries. The share of male was the relatively highest
in the Dutch data (38.2). Gender distributions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0002). Table 2. The respondents gender in each country. Options FI NL PL HU Row total Male 113 37.0 102 38.2 69 23.2 82 29.4 366 31.9 Female 192 63.0 165 61.8 228 76.8 197 70.6 782 68.1 Column total 305 26.6 267 23.3 297 25.9 279 24.3 1148 The majority of respondents lived in a small town (37.3) or in a big city (35.6) (Table 3). 26.5 percent of the respondents lived in the countryside. Six respondents did not tell their area of residence. The share of respondents living in a big city (35.8) and in a small town (37.5) was the same in the whole data. The number of respondents living in the country was the lowest (26.7). According to the data, the share of respondents living in a big city was the highest in Poland (55.2), the share of respondents living in a small town was the highest in Finland (68.6) and the share of respondents living in the countryside was the highest in Hungary (39.8). Distributions of areas of residence differed statistically very significantly (p=.0000) in each country. Table 3. The respondents areas of residence in each country. City 16 5.3 128 47.6 164 55.2 103 36.9 411 35.8 Town 208 68.6 80 29.7 78 26.3 65 23.3 431 37.5 Rural area 79 26.1 61 22.7 55 18.5 111 39.8 306 26.7 Column total 303 26.4 269 23.4 297 25.9 279 24.3 1148 Question number 4 dealt with mode of living. Totally, 1152 respondents answered this question and two did not answer it. The majority of respondents (76.3) lived in a nuclear family (Table 4). The second largest group of respondents (14.8) lived alone. The share of respondents living in a nuclear family was the highest in the whole data (76.5). The share of respondents living in a nuclear family was the relatively highest in the Dutch data (82.9). The relatively highest share of respondents living alone was in the Finnish data (18.4). The modes of living differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). Table 4. The respondents modes of living in each country. Just alone 56 18.4 42 15.6 39 13.1 34 12.1 171 14.8 Nuclear family 238 78.0 223 82.9 225 75.8 195 69.4 881 76.5
Extended family setting Something else Column total 6 2.0 5 1.6 305 26.5 1 0.4 3 1.1 269 23.4 27 9.1 6 2.0 297 25.8 48 17.1 4 1.4 281 24.4 82 7.1 18 1.6 1152 Question number 5 dealt with the number of children. Totally, 1138 respondents answered this question and 16 did not answer. The majority of respondents (43.7) had two children. The second largest group of respondents (21.4) had three children and the third largest group (16.1) had only one child. According to the data, the majority of parents with four or more children are Finnish (12.1) and the minority of these parents were Hungarian (3.7). The distributions concerning the number of children differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). Crosstabulation with the other variables revealed that the parents with the highest education had fewer children than the others and the most typical respondent was a person living in a nuclear family and had two children. Table 5. The respondents number of children in each country. 1 child 31 10.2 32 12.0 69 23.5 51 18.8 183 16.1 2 children 123 40.3 122 45.7 111 37.8 141 51.8 497 43.7 3 children 84 27.5 55 20.6 47 16.0 57 21.0 243 21.4 4 children or more 37 12.1 23 8.6 18 6.0 10 3.7 88 7.7 No children 30 9.9 35 13.1 49 16.7 13 4.8 127 11.2 Column total 305 26.8 267 23.5 294 25.8 272 23.9 1138 Question number 6 dealt with the respondent s education. Totally, 1150 respondents answered this question and four did not. The most common level of education of the respondents was vocational training (56.0) (Table 6). The second largest group of respondents had received an academic degree (27.5) and the smallest group had completed primary education (16.5). The share of respondents with vocational training was the relatively highest in Hungary (60.6). The share of respondents with academic degrees was the relatively highest in the Netherlands (43.7) and the share of respondents with primary education was the highest (21.7) in Finland. The distributions concerning the respondents educational level differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). Table 6. The respondents educational level in each country. Higher education, academic 56 18.4 117 43.7 83 28.0 60 21.3 316 27.5 Vocational training 182 116 175 171 644
Primary education Column total 59.9 43.3 59.1 60.6 56.0 66 35 38 51 190 21.7 13.1 12.8 18.1 16.5 304 268 296 282 1150 26.4 23.3 25.7 24.5 Question number 7 dealt with the respondents employment. Totally, 1148 respondents answered this question and six did not answer it. The majority of respondents were at work (74.2). The share of retired respondents was 12.9, entrepreneurs 7.8 and unemployed 5.1. The relative share of retired respondents was the highest in Hungary (25.4) and Poland (18.9). Correspondingly, the relative share of respondents at work was the highest in the Netherlands (85.0) and Finland (83.3). The share of entrepreneurs was the highest in Poland (9.8). The share of unemployed was about the same in each country. The distributions concerning the respondents employment differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents employment was cross-tabulated with the other variables, it can be stated that the women and the respondents with the highest educational level were more often employed by other people and the majority of entrepreneurs were men. Table 7. The respondents employment in each country. Employed 254 83.3 227 85.0 197 66.3 174 62.4 852 74.2 Entrepreneur 22 7.2 22 8.2 29 9.8 16 5.7 89 7.8 Retired 15 4.9 6 2.2 56 18.9 71 25.4 148 12.9 Unemployed 14 4.6 12 4.5 15 5.1 18 6.5 59 5.1 Column total 305 26.6 267 23.3 297 25.9 279 24.3 1148 Question number 8 dealt with the respondents possession of current residence. Totally, 1153 respondents answered this question and one did not. The majority of respondents (84.9) told that they own their permanent residence. Owner-occupation was the most common in Hungary (96.1) and Finland (90.8). The distributions concerning the possession of the current residence differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When owner-occupation was crosstabulated with the other variables, it can be stated that the owners of the residences are the respondents with the highest educational level. Table 8. Possession of permanent residence in each country. Yes 278 90.8 201 75.0 229 77.1 271 96.1 979 84.9 No 28 9.2 67 25.0 68 22.9 11 3.9 174 15.1 Column total 306 26.5 268 23.2 297 25.8 282 24.5 1153
Question number 9 dealt with the respondents evaluation if they are going to live in their current residence when they retire. Totally, 1142 respondents answered this question and 12 did not. The majority (70.3) of respondents thought about living in their current residence after retirement. Totally 12 respondents did not answer this question at all. The share of those respondents who thought about living in their current residence was the relatively highest (88.8) in the Polish data. The share of those respondents who wished to move when retire was the relatively highest (72.1) in the Hungarian data. The distributions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents thoughts about their future residence were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it can be stated that the employees, the entrepreneurs and those who live supported by their family thought about living in their current residence in the future as well. In addition, the individual respondent s good health and assumption concerning living in the current residence had a connection. However, those respondents whose health was poor and those who lived with the help of their savings thought about moving to another residence. Table 9. The respondents evaluation concerning living in their current residence after retirement in each country. Yes 245 80.9 218 82.6 262 88.8 78 27.9 803 70.3 No 58 19.1 46 17.4 33 11.2 202 72.1 339 29.7 Column total 303 26.5 264 23.1 295 25.8 280 24.5 1142 Question number 10 dealt with the respondents current health. Totally, 1151 respondents answered this question and three respondents did not answer it. In the whole data, 44.4 of the respondents considered their health as good, 36.8 quite good and 18.9 not so good (Table 10). The Dutchmen experienced themselves clearly healthier than the others did. 78.8 of them considered their health as good and 19.7 quite good. Only 1.5 experienced their health not so good. The Hungarian respondents considered themselves less healthy. The distributions concerning opinions of health differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the evaluations of the respondents current health were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that the employees and entrepreneurs health was good and the retired respondents considered their health as not so good. The respondents with the highest educational level had better health than the others did. Table 10. The respondents health according to their own experiences in each country. Good 137 44.9 212 78.8 86 29.0 74 26.4 509 44.2 Quite good 135 44.3 53 19.7 136 45.8 100 35.7 424 36.8 Not so good 33 10.8 4 1.5 75 25.3 106 37.9 218 18.9 Column total 305 269 297 280 1151
26.5 23.4 25.8 24.3 Number 11 dealt with the respondents evaluation of their future health. Totally, 1140 respondents answered the question and 14 did not. The respondents were asked to evaluate their health by the time when they are retired. 47.4 of them considered their health as quite good (Table 11). 31.8 of the respondents considered their health as quite good and 20.9 as not so good. The Dutchmen considered themselves as the healthiest in the future compared with the others. The Polish respondents were the least healthy. The distributions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents evaluations of their future health were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that if a respondent had a good health, he or she believed it will be good in the future as well. Table 11. The respondents evaluation of their future health in each country. Good 60 19.7 163 62.0 47 16.0 92 33.1 362 31.8 Quite good 189 62.0 97 36.9 157 53.4 97 34.9 540 47.4 Not so good 56 18.4 3 1.1 90 30.6 89 32.0 238 20.9 Column total 305 26.8 263 23.1 294 25.8 278 24.4 1140 Number 12 dealt with the respondents current economy. Totally, 1151 respondents answered to this question and three did not. The majority of respondents (38.5) told that their economy is quite good and a slightly smaller share of the respondents (31.0) told that their economy is not so good (Table 12). A part of the respondents (25.7) told that they were able to save money, but some had economic problems (4.8). According to the Dutchmen, their economy was the best on average. The Polish considered their economy as the worst. The respondents evaluation of their economy differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents economy was cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that the entrepreneurs and the respondents living in the big cities were able to save money. However, the respondents living in the countryside, the retired respondents and the unemployed respondents had economic problems more often than the others did. In addition, good health and good economy had a connection. Table 12. The respondents current economy in each country. Can put money in save 71 23.2 132 49.1 35 11.8 58 20.8 296 25.7 Doing economically quite well 182 59.5 127 47.2 69 23.2 65 23.3 443 38.5 Doing economically not so well 48 15.7 10 3.7 151 50.8 148 53.0 357 31.0 Can not afford the daily expenses 5 1.6 42 14.1 8 2.9 55 4.8 Column total 306 26.6 269 23.4 297 25.8 279 24.2 1151
Question 13 dealt with the respondents evaluations of their economy in the future. Totally, 1149 respondents answered to this question and five did not. The majority of respondents (64.7) felt secure about their future economy (Table 13). The most respondents who felt secure about their future economy were the Dutchmen (87.6). On the other hand, the Hungarian respondents were the majority (53.7) of those who felt insecure about their future economy. The answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents future economy was cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that if the respondents did economically well now, they felt secure about their future economy as well. Those respondents who lived supported by their family, often considered their future as secured, and so did the male respondents. However, the unemployed felt insecure about their future. Table 13. The respondents evaluation of their future economy in each country. Secure 231 75.7 233 87.6 149 50.2 130 46.3 743 64.7 Insecure 74 24.3 33 12.4 148 49.8 151 53.7 406 35.3 Column total 305 26.5 266 23.2 297 25.8 281 24.5 1149 Question number 14 dealt with the respondents current main source of income. Totally, 1138 respondents answered to this question and 16 did not. Earned income was the main source of income for the most respondents (78.6) (Table 14). The next common source of income was pension (15.0). Earned income was relatively the most common source of income in the Finnish data (92.4) and pension was the most common in the Hungarian data (27.1). The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the main sources of income were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that the earned income was the most common source of income for the respondents with the highest education. Table 14. The respondents current source of income in each country. Own incomes by working 281 92.4 245 91.4 200 68.3 169 61.9 895 78.6 Pension 16 5.3 17 6.3 64 21.8 74 27.1 171 15.0 Property, savings 5 1.6 5 1.9 11 3.8 23 8.4 44 3.9 Family support 2 0.7 1 0.4 18 6.1 7 2.6 28 2.5 Column total 304 26.7 268 23.6 293 25.7 273 24.0 1138 Question number 15 dealt with the respondents evaluation of frequency of contacts with their children in the future when the respondents are retired. Totally, 1147 respondents answered this question and seven did not. The majority of respondents (48.6) evaluated to have contacts with their children at least once a week. 22.3 of the respondents evaluated to have daily contacts with
their children. Contacts at least once a month anticipated 16.2 and more seldom 1.6 of the respondents. Some respondents (11.2) did not have children at all. In relation to the others, the Hungarians evaluated more often (78.0) to have daily or weekly contacts with their children. The next are the Polish (72.3), the Finns (70.8) and the Dutchmen (62.3). The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents evaluations of contacts with their children were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that those who lived in a nuclear family and had two or three children evaluated that they will meet their children daily or once a week in the future as well. Table 15. The respondents evaluation of frequency of contacts with their children in the future. I have no children 27 8.9 44 16.4 45 15.0 13 4.7 129 11.2 Every day 42 13.8 43 16.0 80 27.0 91 32.7 256 22.3 At least once a week 174 57.0 124 46.3 134 45.3 126 45.3 558 48.6 At least once a month 56 18.4 56 20.9 33 11.1 41 14.7 186 16.2 Twice a year or less 6 2.0 1 0.4 4 1.4 7 2.5 18 1.6 Column total 305 26.6 268 23.4 296 25.8 278 24.2 1147 3. Elderly care in the future Question number 16 enquired about from whom the respondents wished to have help if they needed some. Totally, 1144 respondents answered this question and 10 did not. In the whole data, the majority of respondents (60.8) wanted to have help from their relatives when the need for help is scant. Well over one-third (34.0) wanted to have even small help from the professionals. Only a small minority (5.2) would lean on voluntary help. The Hungarians and the Polish (73.6) would lean on their relatives more clearly than the others would. The majority of Finns (54.3) would have help from the professionals even if the need for help were scant. The distribution of the Dutchmen s answers was quite even between the relatives (49.1) and the professionals (44.2). The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents most wanted helpers were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that those respondents who lived in a nuclear family expected to have short-time help from their family. The respondents who currently served as family caregivers thought about having care from their family. Table 16. The respondents opinion of the most wanted helper in cases the need for help is scant. From family type on carers 116 38.2 132 49.1 215 73.6 232 83.2 695 60.8 From professional carers 165 54.3 119 44.2 66 22.6 39 14.0 389 34.0 From voluntary or charity workers 23 7.6 18 6.7 11 3.8 8 2.9 60 5.2
Column total 304 26.6 269 23.5 292 25.5 279 24.4 1144 In the question 17, the respondents were enquired about from whom they wished to have long-time help. Totally, 1144 respondents answered this question and 10 did not. In the whole data, the majority of respondents (56.3) wanted to have long-time help from the professionals. Long-term help was expected from the relatives by 38.3 of the respondents and 5.4 wanted voluntary help. Most clearly, the Dutchmen (83.6) and the Finns (75.1) expected to have long-term help from the professionals. Correspondingly, the clear majority of the Polish (64.7) and the Hungarians (58.8) wished to have long-time help from their relatives. The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents opinions of the most wanted helper were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that those who expected long-time help from the professionals lived most often in a small town. In addition, their future was economically safe, they lived in a nuclear family and their health was good. Expectation of long-time help from the family had a connection with poor health and insecure economy in the future. Table 17. The respondents opinion of the most wanted helper in case of need for long-time help. From family type on carers 51 16.7 34 12.7 189 64.7 164 58.8 438 38.3 From professional carers 229 75.1 224 83.6 86 29.5 105 37.6 644 56.3 From voluntary or charity workers 25 8.2 10 3.7 17 5.8 10 3.6 62 5.4 Column total 305 26.7 268 23.4 292 25.5 279 24.4 1144 Question number 18 enquired about if the respondents believe that their children could serve as caregivers if necessary. Totally, 1142 respondents answered this question and 12 did not. About half of the respondents (54.4) evaluated that their children participate in care and 34.8 did not believe this would occur. A part of the respondents (10.9) had no children. The Polish (65.2) and the Hungarians (62.5) relied the most on help from their children. The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents opinions of their children as family caregivers were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that the more children the respondents had, the more often they believed the children would take care of their parents. Those respondents who relied on their children being family caregivers often had lower level of education and they lived in a nuclear family. Table 18. The respondents opinion of their children serving as family caregivers if necessary. I have no children 27 8.9 43 16.3 42 14.2 12 4.3 124 10.9 Yes 147 48.7 106 40.2 193 65.2 175 62.5 621 54.4 No 128 42.4 115 43.6 61 20.6 93 33.2 397 34.8 Column total 302 264 296 280 1142
26.4 23.1 25.9 24.5 Question number 19 enquired about if the respondents rely on having sufficient help in the future. Totally, 1143 respondents answered to this question and 11 did not. In the whole data, 47.2 of the respondents relied on having sufficient help and 41.7 thought that there would be some troubles in having sufficient help. 11.1 of the respondents did not rely on having sufficient help in the future. The share of respondents who relied on having sufficient help in the future was the relatively highest in the Hungarian (55.6) and in the Finnish (51.3) data. The share of those who did not rely on having sufficient help was the relatively highest in the Dutch (16.0) and in the Hungarian (14.4) data. The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents evaluations of sufficiency of help were crosstabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that those who relied on having help from the family, believed to have it and the others did not. The more children the respondents had, the more certainly they relied on having sufficient help. The respondents, who currently felt secure about their economy and evaluated this situation to continue in the future, were more convinced of having sufficient help in the future. Table 19. The respondents opinions concerning if they will have sufficient help in the future. Yes I trust it 156 51.3 94 35.1 135 45.9 154 55.6 539 47.2 Difficulties to get help 126 41.4 131 48.9 137 46.6 83 30.0 477 41.7 I do not trust it 22 7.2 43 16.0 22 7.5 40 14.4 127 11.1 Column total 304 26.6 268 23.4 294 25.7 277 24.2 1143 Question number 20 enquired about the share of respondents currently serving family caregivers. Totally, 114 respondents answered this question and 10 did not. 16.7 of the respondents in the whole data are currently family caregivers. The relative share of family caregivers was the highest in the Dutch data (36.8). The distributions of the received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents work as family caregivers was cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that most often the majority of family caregivers were female. Table 20. The respondents current share of family caregivers in each country. Yes 35 11.6 98 36.8 32 10.8 26 9.3 191 16.7 No 268 88.4 168 63.2 264 89.2 253 90.7 953 83.3 Column total 303 26.5 266 23.3 296 25.9 279 24.4 1144
Question 21 asked the respondents to evaluate if they possibly serve as family caregivers in the future. Totally, 1134 respondents answered this question and 20 (1.7) did not. The majority of the whole data thought (57.6) that they would not serve as family caregivers in the future. The share of those respondents who thought about serving as family caregivers was the highest in the Polish (65.9) and in the Dutch (58.1) data. Correspondingly, the majority of those respondents who do not think about being family caregivers in the future are in the Hungarian (86.0) and in the Finnish (67.5) data. The received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents evaluations of becoming family caregivers in the future were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that those respondents who were currently serving as family caregivers believed that they will be ones in the future as well. It was typical for those respondents who evaluated to be family caregivers that they were women, had higher education, lived in a small town and in a nuclear family and considered the support for informal care as sufficient. Table 21. The respondents likelihood of serving as family caregivers in each country. Yes 98 32.5 151 58.1 193 65.9 39 14.0 481 42.4 No 204 67.5 109 41.9 100 34.1 240 86.0 653 57.6 Column total 302 26.6 260 22.9 293 2538 279 24.6 1134 Question 22 asked the respondents to evaluate the current support for informal care. Totally, 1145 respondents answered this question and 9 did not. In the whole data, the majority (52.7) considered this support as insufficient. Well over one-third (35.5) did not know enough about the support to be able to take a stand. The share of the Finnish (69.6) and the Polish (60.5) respondents who considered the support as insufficient was the relatively highest. The relatively highest share of those respondents who did not know the support at all was in the Hungarian data (54.1) and in the Dutch data (42.7). The received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents answers were cross-tabulated, it was possible to state that male respondents knew the support inadequately. Table 22. The respondents evaluation of sufficiency of the support for informal care in each country. It is sufficient 24 7.9 50 18.7 43 14.5 18 6.5 135 11.8 It is not sufficient 211 69.6 103 38.6 179 60.5 110 39.4 603 52.7 I am not familiar of the system 68 22.4 114 42.7 74 25.0 151 54.1 407 35.5 Column total 303 26.5 267 23.3 296 25.9 279 24.4 1145
When answering the question number 23, the respondents were asked to choose the three most important qualities from the given options. These options were the qualities the professional carers should have when caring the respondents. The respondents were asked to put the chosen qualities to order of importance. Totally, 1067 respondents answered this question and 87 (7.5) did not. In the whole data, the most important qualities were friendly behaviour (27.4), professional education (21.1), respect of the client s opinions (19.2), and practice experience of elderly care (16.3) (Figure 1). As the table 23 shows, the Finns (42.3) considered friendly behaviour as the most important quality and the Dutch appreciated listening to the others opinions (32.5). The Polish respondents appreciated most practice experience (32.0) and the Hungarians (32.1) professional education. The opinions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). The second and the third important qualities are not dealt with here because it was common for the respondents not to answer them. Totally, 108 respondents did not mention the second important quality and 113 did not tell the third important one. When the answers for the question number 23 were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that kind treatment was especially emphasised by the respondents who lived in the countryside or in a small town and the respondents with lower-level education. The respondents with the higher education level appreciated respect of opinions. Those who expected help from the professionals appreciated kind treatment, listening to the others opinions and professional education. The respondents who expected long-time care from their family appreciated kind treatment. Table 23. The most important qualities of elderly care professionals in each country. Professional education 47 16.0 61 28.8 32 10.8 85 32.1 225 21.1 Good and friendly behaviour 124 42.3 43 20.3 59 19.9 66 24.9 292 27.4 Practical experience in the care of the elderly 20 6.8 14 6.6 95 32.0 45 17.0 174 16.3 Time to talk with me beside the technical procedures 9 3.1 8 3.8 38 12.8 23 8.7 78 7.3 The person caring me is always the same 13 4.4 8 3.8 11 3.7 14 5.3 46 4.3 The career will consult experts when my conditions will be changed. 9 3.1 9 4.2 22 7.4 7 2.6 47 4.4 My options will be respected and taken into the consideration on my care. 71 24.2 69 32.5 40 13.5 25 9.4 205 19.2 Column total 293 27.5 212 19.9 297 27.8 265 24.8 1067
What do you consider as the most important qualification of the professional people who will be caring you? The person caring me is always the same 4,3 The carer will consult experts when my conditions will be changed 4,4 Time to talk with me beside the technical procedures 7,3 Practical experience in the care of the elderly 16,3 My opinions will be respected and taken into the consideration on my care 19,2 Professional education 21,1 Good and friendly behavior 27,4 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Figure 1. The most important quality of a professional of elderly care according to all respondents. Question number 24 dealt with the best form of housing in the future. Totally, 1139 respondents answered to this question and 15 did not. According to the respondents, the best form of housing was independent living (54.5) and sheltered housing was the second best option (35.2). Especially the Hungarians (65.4) and the Finns (63.2) supported independent living. The received answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). Cross-tabulation revealed that the respondents living in the country or in small towns appreciated independent living at home more than the others did. Table 24. The respondents opinion of their best form of housing in the future. Independent living 191 63.2 129 48.0 123 41.6 178 65.4 621 54.5 Moving to adapted home, sheltered homes 101 33.4 130 48.3 93 31.4 77 28.3 401 35.2 Institutional living 10 3.3 10 3.7 80 27.0 17 6.3 117 10.3
Column total 302 26.5 269 23.6 296 26.0 272 23.9 1139 Question number 25 enquired about who is the best person to implement the practice organisation of the respondents care in the future. Totally, 1103 respondents answered to this question and 51 did not. The majority of respondents considered themselves as the best organisers of their own care (43.4). The next best were the spouse (24.8) and the children (23.1). The respondents mentioned neither their neighbours nor grandchildren. The Dutchmen considered themselves as the best organisers of their care (63.0), and correspondingly, more seldom considered their children as the best organisers of care. The opinions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). When the respondents opinions of the best organisers of care were cross-tabulated, it can be stated that most often the women considered themselves as the best organisers. According to the male respondents, the spouse was the best organiser of care for them. The respondents who lived alone and the respondents with the highest educational level evaluated that they are the best organisers themselves. The respondents, who lived in a nuclear family, relied on their spouses. Table 25. The respondents opinions of who is the best organiser of care in the future. Yourself 114 37.5 167 63.0 94 35.7 104 38.4 479 43.4 Spouse/Partner 63 20.7 58 21.9 74 28.1 79 29.2 274 24.8 Children 79 26.0 30 11.3 67 25.5 79 29.2 255 23.1 Other relatives 2 0.7 2 0.8 4 1.5 1 0.4 9 0.8 Community/ Local authorities 40 13.2 4 1.5 11 4.2 1 0.4 56 5.1 Friends 1 0.4 2 0.8 1 0.4 4 0.4 Private sector 6 2.0 2 0.8 2 0.8 1 0.4 11 1.0 Voluntary sector 1 0.4 6 2.3 3 1.1 10 0.9 Parish workers 3 1.1 2 0.7 5 0.5 Column total 304 27.6 265 24.0 263 23.8 271 24.6 1103 Question 26 enquired about the respondents opinion of the current developmental trend of the elderly people s services. Totally, 1135 respondents answered to this question and 19 did not. According to the majority of respondents (47.3), the services are getting worse. Some respondents (27.0) had not noticed any change at all and some respondents (25.7) thought that the services are getting better. Especially the Dutchmen (57.7) and the Polish (57.1) thought that the elderly people s services are getting worse. In relation to the others, the share of the Finnish respondents who thought that the services are getting better (36.2) was highest. The opinions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). Based on the cross-tabulation, it was possible to state that those who considered their future economy as insecure also thought that the elderly people s services are getting worse.
Table 26. The respondents opinion of the developmental direction of the elderly people s services in each country. Getting better 108 36.2 60 22.6 47 15.9 77 27.9 292 25.7 No changes 48 16.1 52 19.6 80 27.0 126 45.7 306 27.0 Getting worse 142 47.7 153 57.7 169 57.1 73 26.4 537 47.3 Column total 298 26.3 265 23.3 296 26.1 276 24.3 1135 Question number 27 enquired about how the elderly care should be funded. Totally, 1135 respondents answered this question and nine did not. According to the majority (63.1), the elderly care should be financed partly by using public funding and partly by collecting partial user fees. In the answers of the Hungarians, public funding was the relatively most popular (42.3) option. The opinions differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0055). Based on the crosstabulation, it was possible to state that if a respondent was doing economically well now and felt his or her economy secured in the future, he or she was ready to pay a part of the services. In addition, the higher level of education had a connection to willingness to pay the services partly by oneself. Those respondents, who lived in the countryside, supported publicly funded services the most. Table 27. The respondents opinion of how to fund the elderly people s services in each country. Paid by public funding 108 35.6 79 29.7 96 32.3 118 42.3 401 35.0 Paid by clients 1 0.3 4 1.5 8 2.7 8 2.9 21 1.8 Partly by clients, partly by public funding 194 64.0 183 68.8 193 65.0 153 54.8 723 63.1 Column total 303 26.5 266 23.2 297 25.9 279 24.4 1145 Question number 28 dealt with the respondents willingness to pay additional taxes to fund the elderly people s services. Totally, 1137 respondents answered to this question and 17 did not. Slightly over half of the respondents (51.8) were willing to pay more taxes to fund the elderly people s services. The most willing to pay additional taxes were the Dutchmen (75.8) and the most reluctant were the Polish respondents (37.1). The answers differed statistically very significantly in each country (p=.0000). Based on the cross-tabulation, it was possible to state that the people with the highest educational level, the employees and the respondents feeling healthy were more willing to pay additional taxes. The retired and the unemployed were the most reluctant to pay additional taxes in order to improve the elderly people s services. Table 28. The respondents willingness to pay additional taxes to fund the elderly people s services. Yes 161 200 109 119 589
No Column total 53.3 75.8 37.1 43.0 51.8 141 64 185 158 548 46.7 24.2 62.9 57.0 48.2 302 264 294 277 1137 26.6 23.2 25.9 24.4 The part number 29 consisted of 16 statements presenting important issues for the development of the elderly care. The share of respondents who did not answer the statements varied between 30 and 60. In the table 29, the issues are in an order of importance based on the support given by the respondents. Views of health, functional capacity and social and health care services are on the top of the list. Social and community views including information technology are issues with less support. When the answers for the question 29 were cross-tabulated with the other variables, it was possible to state that if the respondents evaluated their health to be poor in the future, they considered availability of health services as important. However, if the respondents evaluated their future health as good, they emphasised social participation. Social participation was most supported by the respondents living in the big cities. The female participants emphasised empowerment, and the entrepreneurs and employees emphasised prevention of mental-health problems. According to the unemployed, hobbies and recreational activities were important; these issues were important for the employees as well. Respect of the elderly was emphasised by the respondents living in the countryside. Respect of youth was especially paid attention to in the big cities and in the countryside. Table 29. The respondents opinions of the issues, which should be paid attention to in development of the elderly care. Issues Agree Access to health care services 82.1 Serious illnesses of old people 75.0 Access to social services 71.8 Variety on health care services 71.1 Functional capacity 69.3 Empowering elderly 68.5 Prevention of mental-health problems 65.7 Building and maintaining social networks 64.3 Understanding between generations 64.3 Participation of older people in society 60.7 Variety on social services 59.0 Estimation of being old 58.0 Access to activities 48.2 Variety of activities 44.2 Access to new technology 44.5 Estimation of being young 37.9 4. Summary 4.1. Respondents Two-thirds of the respondents were female and one-third male. The share of women was the relatively highest in the Polish data. In the Dutch data, the relatively highest share of respondents
was male. Well over one-third of the respondents lived in small towns and one-third in big cities. Less than one-third lived in the countryside. The relative share of respondents living in the big cities was the highest in the Polish data. The relative share of respondents living in the small towns was the highest in the Finnish data and the share of respondents living in the countryside was the highest in the Hungarian data. The majority of respondents lived in a nuclear family. The second largest group lived alone. In the Dutch data, the relative share of respondents living in a nuclear family was the highest. The share of respondents living alone was the highest in Finland. The majority of respondents had two children. The second largest group had three children and the third largest group had only one child. The share of respondents with four or more children was the highest in the Finnish data and the share of this group was the smallest in the Hungarian data. The respondents with the highest education had fewer children than the others. The most common level of education among the respondents was vocational training. The second largest group of respondents had received an academic degree and the smallest group had completed primary education. The share of respondents with vocational training was the relatively highest in the Hungarian data. The share of respondents with an academic degree was the highest in the Netherlands and the share of respondents with primary education was the highest in Finland The majority of respondents were at work. The second largest group of respondents consisted of the retired and the entrepreneurs, and the smallest group consisted of the unemployed. The relative share of retired respondents was the highest in Hungary and Poland. Correspondingly, the share of respondents at work was the highest in the Netherlands and in Finland. The share of entrepreneurs was the highest in Poland. The share of unemployed was about the same in each country. The female respondents and the respondents with the highest education were more often employed by other people, and the majority of entrepreneurs were men. The majority of respondents possessed their current residence. Owner-occupation was the most common in Hungary and Finland. Those who possessed their residence had received higher education. The majority of respondents evaluated that they will live in their current residence in the future as well. The share of respondents who evaluated to stay in their current residence was the relatively highest in the Polish data. In the Hungarian data, the relative share of those who evaluated to move after retirement was the highest. The employees, the entrepreneurs and the respondents living on the support of their family evaluated to live in their current residence in the future as well. In addition, the respondents good health had a connection with a supposition that they will live in their current residence in the future as well. However, those respondents whose health was poor and those who lived by using their savings thought about moving to another residence. The majority of respondents considered their current health as good. The second largest group of respondents considered their health as quite good, and the smallest group considered their health as not so good. The Dutchmen experienced themselves the healthiest and the Hungarians were the least healthy group. The employees and the entrepreneurs had good health and the retired respondents health was not so good. The respondents with the highest education evaluated their health to be better than the others did. The majority of respondents evaluated that their health is quite good when they retire. In the future, the Dutchmen evaluated their health as the best and the least healthy were the Polish respondents. If the respondents had a good health, they expected it to be good in the future as well. The majority of respondents told that they are doing economically quite well. A slightly smaller group of them told they are not doing so well. About one-fourth of the respondents were able to
save money and about five percent of the respondents had economic difficulties. The Dutchmen evaluated their economy to be the best on average and the Polish had the worst economic situation. The entrepreneurs and the respondents living in the big cities were able to save money. The respondents living in the countryside, the retired and the unemployed respondents had more often economic difficulties. In addition, good health and good economy had a connection. The respondents main source of income was the earned income. The second common source of income was the pension. The share of respondents with earned income was the relatively highest in the Finnish data, and the share of respondents living on pension was the highest in the Hungarian data. The earned income was the most common source of income of the respondents with the highest education. The majority of respondents felt that their economy is secure in the future. The share of those who considered their economy as secure in the future was the highest among the Dutchmen. Correspondingly, the share of those who considered their future economy as insecure was the highest among the Hungarian respondents. If the respondents did economically well, they thought that their future economy is secure as well. The respondents living on support of their family considered their future as secure as well. The male respondents considered their future as secure. However, the future of the unemployed looked insecure. After retirement, the majority of respondents evaluated that they have contacts with their children at least once a week. About one-fifth of the respondents evaluated contacts to be daily. The share of those who evaluated contacts to be daily or weekly was the relatively highest in the Hungarian data. The following are the Polish, the Finns and the last are the Dutchmen. Parents who live in a nuclear family and have two or three children evaluated that they meet their children more often, daily or once a week in the near future. 4.2. Elderly care in the future The majority of respondents would like to have short-time help primarily from their relatives. Well over one-third, however, would like to have even the smallest help from the professionals. Only a small minority would lean on voluntary help. The Hungarians and the Polish would lean on their relatives more often than the others would. The majority of Finns would like to have even the smallest help from the professionals. The Dutchmen s answers divide into two equal parts between the relatives and the professionals. Especially those respondents who live in a nuclear family expected to have short-time help from their family. The respondents who currently serve as family caregivers thought about receiving help from their family. The majority of respondents would like to have long-time help from the professionals. Well over one-third would like to have it from the relatives and only five percent would like to have voluntary help. The Dutch and the Finns expected help from the professionals most often. Correspondingly, the majority of Polish and Hungarian respondents would like to have long-time help from their relatives. Those respondents who expected long-time help from the professionals lived more often in the small towns, their economy was secure, they lived in a nuclear family and their health was good. Expectation of long-time help from the family had a connection with poor health and insecure economy in the future. About half of the respondents evaluated that the children participate in care but one-third did not believe it would occur. The Polish and the Hungarians relied the most on help from their children.
The more children the respondents had, the more often they believed their children would take care of them. The respondents who relied on receiving care from their children had lower education and lived in nuclear families. Almost half of the respondents relied on having sufficient help and a slightly smaller part of them believed that they would face some problems in getting sufficient help. About one respondent out of ten did not rely on having sufficient help in the future. In the Hungarian and the Finnish data, relatively more respondents relied on having sufficient help. The share of respondents who did not rely on having sufficient help was the relatively highest in the Dutch data but also in the Hungarian data. The respondents who expected receiving help from their family relied on having sufficient help and the others did not. The more children the respondents had, the more certainly they relied on having sufficient help. The respondents, who did economically well currently and felt their economy secure in the future, were more convinced of having sufficient help in the future. About 17 of the respondents currently served as family caregivers. Their share of respondents serving as family caregivers was the relatively highest in the Dutch data. Most often, the family caregivers were female. The majority of respondents evaluated that they will not serve as family caregivers in the future. The relatively highest share of respondents who thought about serving as family caregivers was in the Polish and the Dutch data. Correspondingly, the share of those who supposed not to serve as family caregivers was the highest in the Hungarian and the Finnish data. The persons who currently served as family caregivers believed to serve as ones in the future as well. It was typical for the respondents who thought of becoming family caregivers in the future that they were female, had higher education, lived in a small town and a nuclear family and considered the support for informal care as sufficient. The majority of respondents considered the support for informal care as insufficient. Well over onethird, especially the male, did not know enough about this issue in order to take a stand. The share of those who considered the support for informal care as insufficient was the relatively highest in the Finnish and in the Polish data. The share of those who were not aware of the support at all was the relatively highest among the Hungarians and the Dutch. The most important qualities of a person caring the elderly were friendly behaviour, professional education, respect for the client s opinions and practice experience in elderly care. According to the Finns, the most important quality was friendly behaviour; the Dutch appreciated listening to a person s opinions. The Polish respondents appreciated practice experience the most and the Hungarians appreciated professional experience. Kind treatment was especially emphasised by the respondents living in the country and in the small towns and by the respondents with lower education. The highly educated appreciated respect of opinions. Those who expected to receive help from the professionals appreciated kind treatment, listening to opinions and professional education. The respondents who expected long-time care from their family appreciated kind treatment. The best form of housing in the future was independent living and the second best option was sheltered housing. Especially the Hungarians and the Finns supported independent living. Most often, the respondents living in the countryside and in the small towns thought about living independently in their own homes in the future. The majority of respondents considered themselves as the best organisers of their own care. The next on the list are the spouse and the children. None of the respondents mentioned their neighbours or grandchildren. Especially the Dutchmen considered themselves as the best organisers of their own care and correspondingly, more seldom suggested their children as the best organisers of care.