Christian Hetzel1, David Bühne2, Wolfgang Michel3, Michael Holzer3, Ingo Froböse4. 1. Institut für Qualitätssicherung in Prävention und Rehabilitation iqpr GmbH, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Eupener Str. 70, 50933, Köln, Deutschland. hetzel@iqpr.de. 2. Institut für Qualitätssicherung in Prävention und Rehabilitation iqpr GmbH, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Eupener Str. 70, 50933, Köln, Deutschland. 3. Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau, Weißensteinstraße 70-72, 34131, Kassel, Deutschland. 4. Institut für Bewegungstherapie und bewegungsorientierte Prävention und Rehabilitation, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Köln, Deutschland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The intervention is a multiday health program of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG) for informal caregivers. AIM OF THE WORK: Does the intervention increase the use of outside help to gain free time for self-care? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental within-design, we analyze annual benefit data from the SVLFG long-term care insurance for the cluster sample Bavaria from 2017 to 2020 with intervention in 2018/2019. Using fixed effects panel regressions, we determine the effect heterogeneity for care relationship, duration of care and degree of care, adjusting for period effects (intervention and comparison group: 88 and 6045 persons with 207 and 16,091 observations, respectively). RESULT: After the intervention, the use of services for outside help tends to be higher than before. The effect is significantly more pronounced with increasing care level, care within the partnership and shorter care duration. With care within the partnership, start of care before 1 year and care level 4/5, more outside help is used afterwards for 1160 € (p < 0.001) than before. DISCUSSION: Design and statistical method would allow a causal conclusion; however, in view of the limitations, in particular the small number of cases in the intervention group and the only limited characteristics available to control for time-dynamic heterogeneity, caution is advisable.
BACKGROUND: The intervention is a multiday health program of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG) for informal caregivers. AIM OF THE WORK: Does the intervention increase the use of outside help to gain free time for self-care? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental within-design, we analyze annual benefit data from the SVLFG long-term care insurance for the cluster sample Bavaria from 2017 to 2020 with intervention in 2018/2019. Using fixed effects panel regressions, we determine the effect heterogeneity for care relationship, duration of care and degree of care, adjusting for period effects (intervention and comparison group: 88 and 6045 persons with 207 and 16,091 observations, respectively). RESULT: After the intervention, the use of services for outside help tends to be higher than before. The effect is significantly more pronounced with increasing care level, care within the partnership and shorter care duration. With care within the partnership, start of care before 1 year and care level 4/5, more outside help is used afterwards for 1160 € (p < 0.001) than before. DISCUSSION: Design and statistical method would allow a causal conclusion; however, in view of the limitations, in particular the small number of cases in the intervention group and the only limited characteristics available to control for time-dynamic heterogeneity, caution is advisable.