Is There a Trade-Off Between Caring for Children and Caring for Parents?

Adult's decision to care for aging family members has an aggregate effect on public income support programs as well on as health care services and costs. Families have continuously been the primary source of support and care of elderly members. It is estimated that adult children constitute 41.3% of all informal caregivers (Wolff & Kasper, 2006). However, recent demographic trends have changed the landscape of parental caregiving by placing unprecedented levels of competing demands for care, potentially limiting the availability of adult children to provide parental care. This examination explores parental care behavior in four European countries (Norway, England, Spain, and Germany) and Israel, emphasizing a potential trade-off between care for offspring and care for aging parents.