Linking Informal and Formal Help: Conflict along the Continuum of Care

Increased attention has been given to the potential for linking formal and informal care as a means of stretching limited resources and as a way to improve the quality of care that people receive. This article examines the assumptions and previous research on which the argument for complementarity of formal and informal help is based. Recent research has shown that formal and informal help are essentially parallel. However, the difference between the social basis of informal help and the instrumental character of formal help makes linking the two very difficult. Since informal help is the major source of help with problems for most low-income persons, it should be strongly supported. However, the most common approaches to such support-making the informal helper an agent of formal care and making the professional an informal helper-may not be appropriate.