Informal versus formal supports for impaired elderly people: determinants of choice on Israeli kibbutzim.

Among 269 functionally impaired elderly people residing on 53 Israeli kibbutzim, those cared for principally by informal caregivers were compared with those cared for principally by formal caregivers. The major findings were that the variables differentiating between primary reliance on formal versus informal care are similar to those that have been found in other studies, and that the availability of formal resources was not accompanied by withdrawal of informal supports.