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Heidi Gautun (NOVA, Oslo Metropolitan University) and Christopher Bratt (Department of Psychology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences) published 2^th March 2024 the article “Caring for older parents in Norway – How does it affect labor market participation and absence from work?” in the journal Social Science & Medicine. By analyzing data collected in Norway in 2022 from a nationally representative sample of 6049 respondents, aged 35 to 67, we investigated how caring for older parents affects labor market participation and work absence. The article concludes:

Caring for elderly parents does not reduce work participation in Norway.

Assisting elderly parents affects work absence. Sick leave is utilized by employees to provide care to aging parents.

Norway’s generous sick leave policy appears to serve as a safety valve.

Introducing a paid leave scheme might help prevent unauthorized use of sick leave.

 

Aslaug Gotehus (AFI) and Heidi Gautun (NOVA) gave the presentation “The second time squeeze- Employees juggling work and care to older parents» in the Parliament at the seminar «How should the welfare state address the aging population and ‘the other time squeeze», November 13, 2023. Manifest Analyse organized the seminar.

Eduardo R Lizardi (University of Oslo) gave the presentation «Parental health and caregiving decisions in the family: The effects of health schocks on adult children’s income» at the Health Services Research Conference 2^nd-3^rd November 2023, Hotel Clarion Stavanger.

Aslaug Gotehus (AFI) gave the presentation «The second time squeeze»  Employed children and older parents, at the 8th national ageing research congress 23th-24th  October 2023, Quality Hotel Expo, Fornebu. 

Aslaug Gotehus (AFI) gave the presentation “Flexible Work Arrangements and informal eldercare” at the conference “Knowledge and Innovation Society” on 28^th July  2023. The conference was arranged by The University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minth City, where Gotehus spent two months as a guest researcher.

Gautun was interviewed September 28th, 2023, about how daughters and sons combine work and care for older parents on NRK’s Nyhetsmorgen, and was a participant in NRK P2’s radio program EKKO August 14th, 2023, discussing «How to succeed in caregiving to older parents?».

The chronicle «Caring for Old Parents in the Digital Society» was published in the September 2023 issue of the membership magazine «Pensjonisten» by The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association. In the chronicle, Heidi Gautun presents and discusses findings that have been published in the article «Caring for Older Parents in the Digital Society,» written by Gautun and Christopher Bratt. The article was published in The Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies June 2023.

Heidi Gautun (NOVA) presented and discussed the article “Help and Care to Older Parents in the Digital Society” at the conference “Aging & Social Change: Thirteenth Interdisciplinary Conference- Overcoming Inequalities and Promoting Sustainability Opportunities and Challenges for Ageing Societies 12^th-15^th September 2023, University Politecnica, Ancona, Italy.

Aslaug Gotehus (AFI) and Heidi Gautun (NOVA) delivered presentations at the seminar- Employees caring for old parents 7^th September 2023 at OsloMet. The seminar was arranged by the Nordic Center for Research on Work and Family Life through the Life Course (NorLife).

Aslaug Gotehus gave the presentation «Flexibility and Care in Working hours », and presented findings from the case study conducted at various workplaces in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Gotehus discussed how flexibility, or a lack of flexibility, within the work day impacts the ability of adult children to provide care and the work-family balance of employees. She concludes that, although flexible arrangements enable the provision of care within the regular workday, this doesn’t come without costs for individuals, where boundaries between work, family, and leisure are largely blurred.

Heidi Gautun gave a presentation of article “Help and Care to Older Parents in the Digital Society”, that was published in The Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies June 2023. She highlighted that, apart from the increased burden on family members due to the welfare state’s resource limitations, adult children are now providing unrecognized digital assistance to their old parents. The 2022 survey revealed that digital support has become the predominant form of help provided by adult children. She concludes that improved user-friendliness of technology and ongoing efforts to teach older individuals digital skills might ease the burden on family members. However, this solution may not apply to all elderly individuals. The question remains: how will this be addressed in the future?

Gautun, H. & Bratt, H. (2023). Help and Care to Older Parents in the Digital Society. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.13745

This study examines the extent and predictors of employees’ help and care to their old parents and aims to contribute to policy development enabling employees to combine full-time work and caregiving to parents.

Analyzing responses from 3332 Norwegian employees aged between 45 and 67 years with at least one living parent, we identified frequencies of different help and care types and tested competing predictors.

Assistance with digital technology was frequent, and various types of practical support were common, but personal care provision was rare. Parents’ health and parents living alone were substantial predictors. Public home care services seemed insufficient and were associated with employees providing more help and care.

The findings emphasize the family as a comprehensive care provider when the welfare state falls short. The study concludes that adult children play a critical role in helping older people cope with limited public services and challenges posed by the digital society.