Background A growing number of older people provide unpaid care, but contemporary research evidence on this group is limited. Aim This study aims to describe the characteristics of older people who provide unpaid care and how these vary by socioeconomic position. Methods Using recent information from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA wave 9, 2019), we analysed cross-sectional data on 1,282 unpaid carers aged ≥50. Data on sociodemographics, health, social wellbeing, care intensity and caregiver–recipient relationships were extracted. Total net non-pension wealth quintiles were used as a relative measure of socioeconomic position. Differences between the poorest and richest wealth quintiles were examined through logistic regression. Findings Most older carers in ELSA were female and looking after another older person. Poor mental and physical health and social isolation were common, and socially patterned. Compared with carers in the middle wealth group, the poorest group were more likely to be living with the person they cared for (odds ratio (OR) 1.56 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–2.36]) and more likely to experience loneliness (OR 2.29 [95% CI 1.42–3.69]), dependency (i.e. the need for help with activities of daily living) (OR 1.62 [95% CI 1.05–2.51]), chronic pain (OR 1.81 [95% CI 1.23–2.67]), a higher number of diseases (OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.15–2.65]) and fair/poor self-rated health (OR 2.59 [95% CI 1.79–3.76]). The poorest carers were also less likely to have a high quality of life (OR 0.51 [95% CI 0.33–0.80]) or be in work (OR 0.33 [95% CI 0.19–0.59]). Conclusion Our findings suggest that financially disadvantaged unpaid carers (and their households) may have the greatest needs for intervention and support. Focussing resources on this group has potential to address social inequalities.

中文翻译：

---

英国老年无酬护理人员的特征：英国老龄化纵向研究中的社会模式研究

背景 越来越多的老年人提供无偿护理，但当代关于这一群体的研究证据有限。目的 本研究旨在描述提供无偿护理的老年人的特征以及这些特征如何随社会经济地位而变化。方法 利用英国老龄化纵向研究（ELSA 第 9 波，2019 年）的最新信息，我们分析了 1,282 名年龄 ≥ 50 岁的无薪护理人员的横截面数据。提取了有关社会人口统计、健康、社会福祉、护理强度和护理者与接受者关系的数据。非养老金净财富总额五分位数被用作社会经济地位的相对衡量标准。通过逻辑回归检验了最贫穷和最富有的财富五分位数之间的差异。调查结果 ELSA 中的大多数老年护理人员都是女性，并且照顾另一位老年人。精神和身体健康状况不佳以及社会孤立很常见，并且具有社会模式。与中等财富群体的照顾者相比，最贫困群体更有可能与他们照顾的人住在一起（比值比 (OR) 1.56 [95% 置信区间 (CI) 1.03–2.36]），并且更有可能经历孤独（OR 2.29 [95% CI 1.42–3.69]）、依赖性（即日常生活活动需要帮助）（OR 1.62 [95% CI 1.05–2.51]）、慢性疼痛（OR 1.81 [95% CI 1.23– 2.67]），更多的疾病（OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.15–2.65]）和自我评价健康状况一般/较差（OR 2.59 [95% CI 1.79–3.76]）。最贫困的护理人员也不太可能拥有高质量的生活（OR 0.51 [95% CI 0.33–0.80]）或工作（OR 0.33 [95% CI 0.19–0.59]）。结论 我们的研究结果表明，经济上处于不利地位的无薪护理人员（及其家庭）可能最需要干预和支持。将资源集中于这一群体有可能解决社会不平等问题。