Formal and informal care in relation to activities of daily living and self-perceived health among older care-dependent individuals in Norway.

Background.  Research about formal care of older home-dwelling people in the Nordic countries is comprehensive, while research on informal care has been less inclusive. Aim.  To describe self-reported activities of daily living and perceived health, and to relate them to amount and types of formal and informal care received by a group of care-dependent, home-dwelling older individuals in Norway. Design and methods.  A sample consisting of 242 persons aged 75+ years receiving home nursing services. Data were collected by means of structured interviews with questions about activities of daily living (ADL), amount and types of formal and informal care and demographic variables. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test and multiple stepwise regression were used in the analyses. Results.  ADL dependency was the only predictor for explaining quantity of home nursing received. Those who received a generous amount of formal care also received a lot of care and support from informal networks. The type of care from the two sources differed. The home nurses performed PADL tasks. While the informal caregivers offered help with IADL tasks. Conclusion.  This study of receiving help in this group of older people in Norway shows that formal and informal care resources complement one another.