USE OF PAID HOME CARE BY THE CHRONICALLY DISABLED ELDERLY

Determinants of paid home care use among the chronically disabled elderly were analyzed using the 1982 National Long-Term Care Survey. In 1982, about one quarter of the elderly disabled had a paid home care provider. Using logistic regression, the analysis found the predictors of any use of paid home care were age, sex, marital status, number of daughters and sons, ADL problems, a prior nursing home stay, an overnight hospital stay, income, home equity, and Medicaid enrollment. Using ordinary least-squares regression, the study also identified predictors of the amount of formal home care used in the last week. For elderly with a paid home care provider, greater age, disability level, not being married, fewer daughters, and cognitive impairment signal significantly more use. © 1991, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.