The effect of caregiver's burden on change in frail older persons' use of formal helpers.

We used a national longitudinal probability sample of frail older persons and their caregivers to examine three questions: 1) What are the probabilities of transition to use of formal helpers over a two-year period? 2) What is the role of predisposing, enabling, older person's need, and caregiver's need variables in changes in the use of formal helpers? 3) Do determinants of change in the use of formal helpers vary by level of caregiver's burden? Results show a slight trend to increased use in formal help over time. Personal burden, but not interpersonal burden, had a lagged effect on increased use of formal services. Use of formal helpers was greater in situations combining high levels of older person's need, high levels of caregiver's personal burden, and insufficient support from the informal network.