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The extra cost of ADL disability and cognitive decline among middle-aged and older adults in China

Jiamin Gao, Beijing Normal University
Yichen Jiang, Peking University

China is experiencing a rapid growth in population aging, and the prevalence of disability and dementia in middle-aged and older adults is expected to rise in the near future. The present study aims to estimate the additional costs faced by households in China to have disabled or cognition-impaired middle-aged and older adults compared to those without, using a standard of living approach to expand the scope of the research on monetary impacts of functional disability and dementia in mid- and late-life. Data were obtained from 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a total sample of 19 426 aged=45 years was included. The extra cost associated with having a disabled middle-aged and older adult was estimated to be 226% of annual household income, or valued about US$6,301, and 334% of annual household income or valued about US$9,158 for having a cognition-impaired adult, respectively. Middle-aged adults who were disabled or cognition-impaired experienced greater extra costs than the elderly. The additional cost of ADL disability or cognitive decline varied by severity and residence. Our findings indicated that households with disabled or cognition-impaired adults may encounter greater risk of being trapped in poverty and had to compensate by reducing households’ living standard.

Keywords: Demographic and social surveys, Older adults, Health and morbidity, Family demography

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  Presented in Session 92. Cognitive Health and Older Adults