Factors influencing the use of community health and social services by those aged 65 and over

Interview data collected in a 1990/91 health and life-style survey is used to investigate in those aged 65 years and over the relationship to the use of community health and social services of age, health status and social and economic factors. One thousand eight hundred and forty-one respondents were included in the study. Contacts with general practitioners (GPs), district nurses and home helps and use of “meals on wheels”, day centres for elderly people and lunch clubs were related to age, chronic illnesses, gender, mental well-being, living alone, income and social class. Age and chronic illness were strongly related to the use of all services. A distinctive pattern of service use was found for particular chronic illnesses. Musculoskeletal conditions were most strongly related. Significant relationships between mental well-being, living alone, gender, income and social class remained after the effects of age and chronic illness were removed. Consideration is given to the implications for those who plan community health and social services.     

Determinants of healthcare utilization in Greece: Implications for decision-making

Objective: To explore factors influencing the utilization of primary and secondary healthcare in Greece. Methods: A national, geographically stratified sample was randomly selected. From November 2001 to March 2002, 5000 questionnaires were mailed, 4427 were actually received, and 1819 were completed and returned (response rate 41%). The questionnaire investigated respondents’ characteristics and their health services utilization. A number of potential utilization determinants were explored, such as region, gender, age, education, income, insurance coverage, number of family members, self-rated health status, country of birth, and parents’ country of birth. Results: The utilization of primary healthcare services depended on self-rated health status, age, income, gender, and region. Individuals with moderate and poor self-rated health, older people, women, and residents of the region of Epirus showed increased utilization of primary healthcare services. Income was a factor affecting the utilization of primary healthcare only at lower income levels. The frequency of visits for primary healthcare was negatively correlated with self-rated health status and increased as self-evaluation of health status worsened. Hospitalization was associated with self-rated health and insurance coverage for primary healthcare. Individuals with better self-rated health status, as well as those who were covered by health insurance for primary care, showed decreased hospital care utilization. The frequency of hospitalization depended on region and lower evaluations of health status.

Conclusion: The findings of our research are encouraging, since they suggest that the utilization of health services in Greece is mostly determined by health status rather than other socioeconomic factors. It is believed that similar studies should be conducted in the country, since they can improve health service planning and reinforce decision-making towards healthcare resource allocation according to healthcare needs.     

Factors determining the use of social support services among elderly people living in a city environment in Poland

Ageing populations entail important social issues. The population of Lodz is characterised by the highest ageing ratio in Poland (17.2% people aged 65 or above). The aim of our study was to present factors determining the use of social support services in the subpopulation of elderly people in a city environment. The study, conducted between 2011 and 2012 with the use of a survey questionnaire, included 466 respondents aged 65 or older, who were looked after by the Municipal Social Welfare Centre, Lodz‐Polesie. The response rate was 93.2%. Most beneficiaries were women (77.9%). The respondents were mostly widows (73.9% of women) or widowers (43.7% of men). Most respondents applied for nursing services (79.7%), while 28.3% asked for financial help. In Lodz as a whole, these percentages were 81.0% and 19.0%. A chronic disease was the most common cause of the application for help (73.4%). In 4.1% of applicants, the cause was a low income per capita. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the variables which contributed to receiving financial support included being a man, aged 65–69 years, being single and receiving a monthly salary per capita below 500.0 PLN (Polish New Zlotys). The variables which contributed to receiving social care service in the form of nursing services included being a woman, aged 85 years or older, receiving a monthly salary per capita between 1001.0 and 1500.0 PLN, suffering from a chronic disease, which was a reason for applying for social support service, a result on the Activities of Daily Living scale confirming disability and a very negative self‐evaluation of health. The results of the study have shown that the poor health condition of elderly people is the most frequent reason for applying for social services. Identifying reasons for applying for social care by elderly people might facilitate the introduction of workable solutions in the social and healthcare policy.     

Towards a contemporary social care ‘prevention narrative’ of principled complexity: An integrative literature review

Prevention has become increasingly central in social care policy and commissioning strategies within the United Kingdom (UK). Commonly there is reliance on understandings borrowed from the sphere of public health, leaning on a prevention discourse characterised by the 'upstream and downstream' metaphor. Whilst framing both structural factors and responses to individual circumstances, the public health approach nonetheless suggests linearity in a cause and effect relationship. Social care and illness follow many trajectories and this conceptualisation of prevention may limit its effectiveness and scope in social care. Undertaken as part of a commissioned evaluation of the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (2014) Wales, a systematic integrative review was conducted to establish the key current debates within prevention work, and how prevention is conceptually framed, implemented and evaluated within the social care context. The databases Scopus, ASSIA, CINAHL and Social Care Online were initially searched in September 2019 resulting in 52 documents being incorporated for analysis. A further re-run of searches was run in March 2021, identifying a further 14 documents, thereby creating a total of 66. Predominantly, these were journal articles or research reports (n = 53), with the remainder guidance or strategy documents, briefings or process evaluations (n = 13). These were categorised by their primary theme and focus, as well as document format and research method before undergoing thematic analysis. This highlighted the continued prominence of three-tiered, linear public health narratives in the framing of prevention for social care, with prevention work often categorised and enacted with inconsistency. Common drivers for prevention activity continue to be cost reduction and reduced dependence on the care system in the future. Through exploring prevention for older people and caregivers, we argue for an approach to prevention aligning with the complexities of the social world surrounding it. Building on developments in complexity theory in social science and healthcare, we offer an alternative view of social care prevention guided by principles rooted in the everyday realities of communities, service users and caregivers.     

城市社区居家养老医疗服务模式探索

目的：探索建立城市社区居家养老医疗服务模式。方法：通过近两年的米市巷街道社区卫生服务中心的居家养老医疗服务工作的实践,探索建立居家养老医疗服务的可持续化模式。结果：米市巷街道的居家养老医疗工作实现了可持续化、标准化、网格化、信息化、中医特色化,有效提升了政府和社区卫生服务中心形象。结论：通过政府购买居家医疗服务,建立以政府为主导,社区卫生服务为依托,社会各界与志愿者广泛参与的居家养老医疗服务,是实现“老有所医”的一种可持续模式。     

流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用及影响因素研究

目的:了解流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用情况及其影响因素,为促进公共卫生服务均等化提供数据支持。方法:以安德森卫生服务利用模型为理论基础,使用2015年全国流动人口动态监测数据,结合深度访谈,对影响流动老人卫生服务利用的人群特征及环境因素进行分析。结果:流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用率偏低并在群体内存在差异;户籍类型、居住时长、流动范围是影响流动老人卫生服务利用的主要因素;基层卫生服务机构存在经费拨付与工作量不一致、数据不清、工作不被理解等方面的困难。结论:流动老人基本公共卫生服务可及性较差、健康意识薄弱,应加强健康教育宣传;对农村户籍、居住时间短和流动跨度大的老人给予重点关注;卫生部门应加强针对流动老人的数据统计,改变基本公共卫生服务经费拨付方式,优化信息化建设顶层设计,促进流动老人基本公共卫生服务利用。     

Expressed and unexpressed social needs in low-income adults in the U.S

Many healthcare organisations are now routinely screening patients for social needs such as food and housing. It is largely unknown whether the needs they identify would have been expressed by the patient in the absence of screening. To better understand expressed and unexpressed social needs, we administered a social needs screener to 1,397 low-income adults who called a 2-1-1 helpline in Missouri seeking assistance with social needs between June 2017 and October 2019. Merging data from the screener and 2-1-1, we found that the screener identified all of the social needs expressed to 2-1-1 for about half the participants, and on average identified at least one social need not expressed to 2-1-1 (i.e., unexpressed needs). Certain social needs (utility payment assistance, housing) were much more likely to be expressed than unexpressed, while others (childcare, employment, personal safety) were almost universally unexpressed. In regression analyses, having certain expressed needs significantly increased the odds of having certain unexpressed needs. For example, those seeking transportation assistance from 2-1-1 had greater odds of unexpressed needs for food (OR = 3.19; 95% CI = 1.45–7.02) and healthcare (OR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.06–4.48) than those not expressing transportation needs. Those seeking employment assistance from 2-1-1 had greater odds of unexpressed needs for personal safety (OR = 3.04; 95% CI = 1.20–7.68) and healthcare (OR = 2.58; 95% CI = 1.15–5.77) than those not expressing employment needs. Implications for healthcare (screening detects expressed and unexpressed needs) and social service organisations (certain requests may be markers for other needs) are discussed.     

家庭关怀及社会支持对社区老年人社会隔离的影响

目的了解社区老年人社会隔离的现状,明确家庭关怀及社会支持因素对其产生的影响,为采取应对措施提供理论依据。方法于2017年12月-2018年8月采用社会网络量表(LSNS-6)、家庭关怀度问卷(APGAR)、社会支持评定量表(SSRS)对唐山市6所社区1 526例老年人(≥60岁)进行问卷评测。结果社区老年人社会网络总均分为(16.16±5.447)分,其中发生社会隔离者占24.3%;多因素分析结果显示,患有慢病(OR=2.477,95%CI:1.948～3.057)、居住在3层楼房以上(OR=2.475,95%CI:1.747～3.505)是社会隔离的危险因素,家庭关怀度高(OR=0.644,95%CI:0.588～0.706)、社会支持度高(OR=0.806,95%CI:0.779～0.833)是社会隔离的保护因素;分层回归分析显示家庭关怀及社会支持能够独立解释30.1%的社会隔离。结论唐山市社区老年人社会隔离发生率远高于北京市水平,加强家庭及社会支持可降低社会隔离的发生。     

Social determinants of older adults' awareness of community support services in Hamilton, Ontario

Community support services (CSSs) have been developed in Canada and other Western nations to enable persons coping with health or social issues to continue to live in the community. This study addresses the extent to which awareness of CSSs is structured by the social determinants of health. In a telephone interview conducted in February-March 2006, 1152 community-dwelling older adults (response rate 12.4%) from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada were made to read a series of four vignettes and were asked whether they were able to identify a CSS they may turn to in that situation. Across the four vignettes, 40% of participants did name a CSS as a possible source of assistance. Logistic regression was used to determine factors related to awareness of CSSs. Respondents most likely to have awareness of CSS include the middle-aged and higher-income groups. Being knowledgeable about where to look for information about CSSs, having social support and being a member of a club or voluntary organisations are also significant predictors of awareness of CSSs. Study results suggest that efforts be made to improve the level of awareness and access to CSSs among older adults by targeting their social networks as well as their health and social care providers.     

Determinants of health service use and expenditure among the elderly Finnish population

Background: There is a need to identify significant determinantsof physician and public health nurse visits, hospital in-patientand home care, use of prescribed medication and total expenditureamong elderly people for planning of health policy. Methods:The data were obtained from three annual computer-assisted telephoneinterview surveys in 1992–1994. Each year a systematicsample of approximately 2,300 non-institutionalized people aged25-79 years were interviewed. The 60-79 year old respondentswere included in our analysis (n=1,707); the response ratesin this age group were approximately 75% each year. In thisstudy we tested the suitability of four regression models: Poisson,negative binomial, logit plus zero-truncated Poisson and logitplus zero-truncated negative binomial. Results: The use of servicesincreased with age, particularly hospital in-patient and homecare. Although women were more likely to use services, particularlyprimary care, their share of total expenditure was lower thanthat for men. Significant predictors of higher expenditure wereown personal doctor, other specific doctor, perceived healthstatus, psychosomatic symptoms, chronic illness and difficultiesin functional ability. Those living alone had significantlyhigher expenditures. Conclusion: It emerged that, while a largenumber of elderly people had used services, only a small minorityhad accounted for the majority of expenditure. Although thepersonal doctor system may produce high quality of care, itcannot achieve cost savings.     

Food provision and the meal situation in elderly care – outcomes in different social contexts

BACKGROUND: Nutritional problems concerning older people in care can be affected both by their illness and by the standard procedures surrounding food provision, for example rigid routines of food supply and ritualized mealtime situations. METHOD: The aim was to study how organizational structure and staff members' routines and actions influence activities related to food and meals in different caring context in Sweden. The qualitative methodology chosen for this study was participant observation. RESULT: Care recipients were given different opportunities concerning what, how, when and with whom to eat, depending on where their meals were served. In restaurants, older people could choose from several foods and they could also choose the time of and company for the meal. At care units with 'part-of-day' care or 'around-the-clock' care, food choices, time and company were limited, especially at the units with 'around-the-clock' care, where the most ailing older people lived. CONCLUSIONS: Food provision and the mealtime situation for the elderly are shaped by the individual's living arrangements, and the social organization surrounding it, not determined by the individual's needs and wishes, including social and cultural meanings of food and meals, which could, thereby, affect nutritional intake.     

社会资本对农村户籍老年人健康的影响与性别差异研究

[目的]了解不同类别社会资本(人际信任、社会支持、社会参与)对我国农村户籍老年人健康的影响及性别差异.[方法]基于2017-2018年中国老年健康影响因素跟踪调查(CLHLS)数据对9068名60岁以上农村户籍老年人进行分析.[结果]社会参与(正式和非正式)和人际信任对农村户籍老年人健康状况的积极影响显著,有社会参与的...     

Determinants of adolescent bicycle use for transportation and snacking behavior

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions in many countries and is largely due to behavioral factors that disrupt the energy balance. The purpose of the study was to test how well our conceptual model, combining features from the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Triadic Influence, explained two behaviors related to the energy balance, namely bicycle use for transportation and snacking behavior in a Dutch adolescent sample. METHODS: Data was gathered in an 1997 cross-sectional sample of adolescents (n = 3,859; mean age 14.8 years SD = 1.6) on snacking behavior, bicycle use, demographics, and potential environmental, cognitive and psychological determinants. Data was analyzed using bivariate correlations, multiple linear and binary logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Less snacking behavior was associated with female gender and a more positive intention, a more positive attitude, and stronger perceived behavioral control towards restricting snacking. Students who used their bicycle for transportation were more likely to attend secondary education, to be native Dutch, to go to school in a less-urbanized city, to be younger, had a more positive intention and perceived stronger behavioral control and subjective norm towards bicycle use. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of environmental factors increased our understanding of bicycle use for transportation and snacking behavior in adolescents. The environmental factors are suggested to be taken into account in interventions aimed at changing these behaviors in more healthy directions.     

Audit of supplement use on care of the elderly and rehabilitation wards

Background: Increased awareness of malnutrition in hospital and community has led to increased use of nutrition support. However, questions about the use and effects of supplements have been raised. Aims: To audit the use of supplements on two care of the elderly/rehabilitation wards to check whether supplements were used and determine the level of wastage. Methods: The number of supplements used during the 2-week audit period was calculated by examining the number of cartons on the first day of audit, recording the number of supplements sent by the pharmacy and counting the number remaining on the wards at the end of the audit period. Records were made of supplements prescribed and issued according to drug charts. In addition, nursing staff made regular measurements of supplement wastage during the audit period. Results: The number of patients taking supplements was lower than expected. However, a discrepancy arose, with more supplements being used than had been prescribed. A comparison of supplements prescribed with supplements unused showed a variation of 22–113%. Wastage of supplements was also variable, 24% for Entera and 45% for Enlive. Conclusions: Further work is needed to identify why supplements are wasted, develop guidelines for appropriate use of supplements and to educate ward staff.     

不同社会医疗保险参保人群卫生服务需要与利用比较

分析比较陕西省不同社会医疗保险参保人群卫生服务需要与利用的差别,采用陕西省第4次卫生服务调查数据,利用直接标准化法计算不同社会医疗保险参保人群的卫生服务需要和卫生服务利用指标,探讨不同社会医疗保险参保人群卫生服务需要与利用的特点和成因,为进一步完善我国社会医疗保险制度提供参考。     

Across the health-social care divide: elderly people as active users of health care and social care

Several ways in which elderly people may assume an active role when using welfare services are discussed here. Selected findings are presented from a study that explored the experience and behaviour of elderly people on discharge from inpatient care with regard to criteria indicating user influence or control (namely participation, representation, access, choice, information and redress). Data were collected via semistructured interviews with service users (n = 30) soon after their return home from hospital. A number of differences were revealed between health care and social care in relation to users being provided with opportunities to assume an active role and in being willing and able to assume an active role. These differences were manifest in elderly service users accessing services, seeking information, exercising choice and acting independently of service providers. It appeared paradoxical that contact points were more easily defined with regard to health care yet users were more likely to exercise choice and act independently in securing social care. It is suggested that social care needs and appropriate service delivery are more easily recognised than making the link between perceived health care needs and appropriate services. In addition, it appeared that informal and private providers are more widely available and accessible for social care. If comprehensive continuing care is to be provided, incorporating both health and social care elements, greater uniformity appears to be required across the welfare sector. Lessons for social care provision from the delivery of health care suggest the clear definition of contact points to facilitate service use. Making health care more accessible, however, does not appear to be easily attainable due to the monopoly provision of health care and the lack of direct purchasing power by potential users.     

住院老年人焦虑状况与社会支持的相关性调查

目的：研究住院老年患者的焦虑状况和社会支持的相关性。方法：采用方便抽样方法对桐庐县第二人民医院内科、妇产科和外科病区内50名60岁及60岁以上住院老年患者应用社会支持评定量表（SSRS）和状态-特质焦虑问卷（STA I）中的状态焦虑问卷（S-A I）进行调查。数据主要采用t检验、方差分析和Pearson相关分析。结果：调查单位住院老年人客观支持、主观支持和支持利用3个维度的评分分别为（9.32±3.05）分、（22.84±3.87）分和（7.46±2.25）分,社会支持总分为（39.62±7.45）分。状态焦虑评分为（37.90±11.60）分。社会支持总分、客观支持和支持利用的评分与状态焦虑评分呈负相关。结论：社会支持对住院老年人的情绪有重要影响,对减轻住院老年人的焦虑情绪有积极意义。