10/66 Dementia Research Group

The aim of the INDEP study is to examine the social and economic impacts of care-dependence on older people, carers and households in Peru, Mexico, China and Nigeria. Our aim is to assess the extent to which onset of dependence serves as an economic shock to households, leading to economic vulnerability and impoverishment, exploring the effects on social relations in the household and beyond, paying particular attention to gender dynamics and decision-making. INDEP is a mixed methods study: the quantitative cross-sectional survey will be complemented by in-depth qualitative interviews carried out among a purposive sample of case study households.
This study will draw on and extend an established set of international population-based surveys conducted by the 10/66 DRG. We were thus able to identify three different types of household: those with one or more dependent older people at both time points (chronic dependent), those where an older resident became dependent between baseline and follow-up (incident dependent) and those with no dependent older residents (control households). Our mixed methods approach will thus enable us to assess the extent to which onset of dependence serves as an economic shock to households as a whole, leading to economic vulnerability and impoverishment. We will also be able to explore the impact of dependence upon on social relations between household members and others in their network. Given that there is evidence to suggest that the burden of care often falls to women and may be linked to cutting back or giving up paid employment, we are particularly keen to investigate the gender dynamics and decision-making around care.