Evaluating informal support

Evaluation by members of the formal care system of clients' informal supports must overcome conceptual, methodological, and ethical dilemmas if it is to be reliable and valid. Several of these dilemmas are illustrated in a study of elderly social service clients in Jerusalem. The findings point to the need for measurement efforts (1) to focus upon the content of informal supports, (2) to collect data through direct observation, (3) to promote greater objectivity among evaluators, (4) to consider the risks of upsetting the balance of informal care, and (5) to encourage the timely evaluation of social network care potential.