Estimating the demand for long-term care among aging Mexican Americans: Cultural preferences versus economic realities

Objective: This study investigates the impact of socioeconomic resources and cultural preferences determining living arrangements among Mexican-origin elders. Methods: The analyses are based on the first and sixth waves of the H-EPESE, a study of 3,050 individuals aged 65 and older who were initially interviewed in 1993/94. 1,296 survivors, 578 of whom were unmarried, were re-contacted in 2006. Multinomial logistic regressions estimated the relative contribution of nativity and socioeconomic factors on preferences in care arrangements in the event of poor health at wave one on actual living arrangements at the sixth follow up. Results: The data revealed 1993 preferences predict 2006 community-based living arrangements but do not predict nursing home residence. Unmarried native-born Mexican-origin individuals were far more likely than the foreign-born to overestimate nursing home use. Conclusion: The findings raise policy-relevant questions concerning the consequences of changes in family size, female labor force participation, and cultural norms on sources of care for elderly Hispanics.