The substantial increase in the proportion of very old people in the population has not given rise to a large increase in institutional long-term care (LTC) in France. In this article, we aim to analyse the contribution of individual factors to this trend: age, level of education, gender, type of disability and the family environment. Based on data from the Handicap-Santé 2008-2009 survey and Capacités et Aides et REssources des seniors (CARE) 2015-2016 survey, we estimate the change in the probability that an individual aged 75 or over will be living in an institution based on these various factors. A decomposition shows that the increase in the proportion of very old people and those with severe limitations brings about an increase in overall use, but that the increase is offset by a concomitant increase in family resources to be helped at home. The level of use associated with the various factors did not change significantly. The limited increase in LTC use is explained by a composition effect, linked to an increase in family resources to provide in-home care, but not to a reduced level of LTC use.

Citation: Carrère, A., Cambois, E. & Fontaine, R. (2023). Institutional Long-Term Care Use in France (2008-2015): The Role of Family Resources. Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, 538, 31–48 (First published online: December 2022). doi: 10.24187/ecostat.2023.538.2091