Seniors at Risk: The Association between the Six-Month Use of Publicly Funded Home Support Services and Quality of Life and Use of Health Services for Older People

Abstract

This study examines the baseline characteristics and changes in health status and cost of use of health services associated with use of publicly funded home support services. The analysis includes 122 people 75 years of age or more who were eligible for home support services. Over a 6-month period, one third of the sample used home support services for more than 1 hr/week; these seniors had higher rates of depression and cognitive impairment, lower levels of physical and emotional functioning, and less effective coping styles than those who used fewer services. Cognitive impairment explained 17 per cent of the variation in use of home support services. At 6 months, use of home support services for more than 1 hr/week by seniors with higher levels of need was associated with lower cost of use of health services and lower levels of improvement in health status. These findings suggest the need for further research to identify efficacious ways of providing home support services to this population to enhance their health status using available resources.

Match between needs and services for participation of older adults receiving home care

“…Unmet needs concern mainly social activities (responsibilities, interpersonal relationships, community life and leisure) and some daily activities (fitness, housing and mobility outside the home). These results are in agreement with those of other studies (Talbot et al, 2004;Markle-Reid et al, 2008) and raise several questions regarding the HSSC's responsibilities for the health and well-being of the population in its territory. Given that the benefits of community integration have been clearly demonstrated, this discrepancy between needs and interventions enabling participation is troublesome.…”

Match between needs and services for participation of older adults receiving home care

“…Unmet needs concern mainly social activities (responsibilities, interpersonal relationships, community life and leisure) and some daily activities (fitness, housing and mobility outside the home). These results are in agreement with those of other studies (Talbot et al, 2004;Markle-Reid et al, 2008) and raise several questions regarding the HSSC's responsibilities for the health and well-being of the population in its territory. Given that the benefits of community integration have been clearly demonstrated, this discrepancy between needs and interventions enabling participation is troublesome.…”

Interprofessional Stroke Rehabilitation for Stroke Survivors Using Home Care

“…Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies, which have reported significant improvements in physical functioning and independence with a specialized interprofessional approach 28,29,[38][39][40] . This finding is noteworthy, given that reduced physical functioning is highly predictive of acute hospitalization, use of home care services 67,92 , falls 93,94 , and poorer community reintegration after stroke 1 .…”

The Effects and Costs of a Multifactorial and Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Falls Prevention for Older Home Care Clients ‘At Risk’ for Falling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…One hypothesis is that the intervention was more effective for seniors with a negative history of falls because they had higher levels of physical, social, and psychological functioning compared with fallers (Markle-Reid et al, 2008a). Individuals with lower functional levels normally are apt to need more support and receive it (Markle-Reid, Weir, Browne, Roberts, Gafni, & Henderson, 2008b). This may have reduced the differences between the two groups.…”

Match between needs and services for participation of older adults receiving home care

“…Unmet needs concern mainly social activities (responsibilities, interpersonal relationships, community life and leisure) and some daily activities (fitness, housing and mobility outside the home). These results are in agreement with those of other studies (Talbot et al, 2004;Markle-Reid et al, 2008) and raise several questions regarding the HSSC's responsibilities for the health and well-being of the population in its territory. Given that the benefits of community integration have been clearly demonstrated, this discrepancy between needs and interventions enabling participation is troublesome.…”

Interprofessional Stroke Rehabilitation for Stroke Survivors Using Home Care

“…Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies, which have reported significant improvements in physical functioning and independence with a specialized interprofessional approach 28,29,[38][39][40] . This finding is noteworthy, given that reduced physical functioning is highly predictive of acute hospitalization, use of home care services 67,92 , falls 93,94 , and poorer community reintegration after stroke 1 .…”

The Effects and Costs of a Multifactorial and Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Falls Prevention for Older Home Care Clients ‘At Risk’ for Falling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…One hypothesis is that the intervention was more effective for seniors with a negative history of falls because they had higher levels of physical, social, and psychological functioning compared with fallers (Markle-Reid et al, 2008a). Individuals with lower functional levels normally are apt to need more support and receive it (Markle-Reid, Weir, Browne, Roberts, Gafni, & Henderson, 2008b). This may have reduced the differences between the two groups.…”

Match between needs and services for participation of older adults receiving home care

“…Unmet needs concern mainly social activities (responsibilities, interpersonal relationships, community life and leisure) and some daily activities (fitness, housing and mobility outside the home). These results are in agreement with those of other studies (Talbot et al, 2004;Markle-Reid et al, 2008) and raise several questions regarding the HSSC's responsibilities for the health and well-being of the population in its territory. Given that the benefits of community integration have been clearly demonstrated, this discrepancy between needs and interventions enabling participation is troublesome.…”

Interprofessional Stroke Rehabilitation for Stroke Survivors Using Home Care

“…Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies, which have reported significant improvements in physical functioning and independence with a specialized interprofessional approach 28,29,[38][39][40] . This finding is noteworthy, given that reduced physical functioning is highly predictive of acute hospitalization, use of home care services 67,92 , falls 93,94 , and poorer community reintegration after stroke 1 .…”

The Effects and Costs of a Multifactorial and Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Falls Prevention for Older Home Care Clients ‘At Risk’ for Falling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…One hypothesis is that the intervention was more effective for seniors with a negative history of falls because they had higher levels of physical, social, and psychological functioning compared with fallers (Markle-Reid et al, 2008a). Individuals with lower functional levels normally are apt to need more support and receive it (Markle-Reid, Weir, Browne, Roberts, Gafni, & Henderson, 2008b). This may have reduced the differences between the two groups.…”