Determined independent effects of nine self-reported medical conditions on the likelihood of developing specific instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) disabilities at three points in time. Various medical conditions differentially affect each specific IADL disability, and each IADL disability has its own set of predictors, which, in…

Purpose: The authors examine differences in reports of residual disability and unmet need by type of long-term care arrangement (assistive technology or personal care).Design and Methods: This study compares three specific dimensions of residual difficulty (pain, fatigue, and time intensity) and reports of unmet need across care arrangements.…

Describes Home Visit, field assessment of elderly clients which involved interview, observation, and direct assessment of performance of routine tasks, rating performance to identify major obstacles to independence: attention/motivation, memory, language, and visuospatial deficits. Notes approach can help clarify diagnostic issues in dementia and…

Purpose: Research underscores how autonomy and decision-making involvement may help to enhance the quality of life of older adults; however, individuals with dementia are often excluded from decision making that is related to their daily functioning. In this study we use a modified version of the Stress Process Model to consider the stress process…

Primary caregivers to Alzheimer disease patients (N=60) twice completed Caregiving Hassles Scale and reported on their well-being. Scale provided reliable and psychometrically sound instrument for assessing hassles associated with assistance in basic and instrumental activities of daily living, care-recipient cognitive status and behavior, and…

Purpose: Few international comparisons of health services are performed using microlevel data. Using such data, this paper compares the need for and receipt of assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) in comparable samples in the United States and Sweden, a country with a universal system of community-based services. Design and Methods:…

Purpose: This is the second article reporting a project that (a) characterized the longitudinal functional patterns of residents in an affordable, assisted living housing (ALH) milieu for low-income people and (b) compared the ALH residents' functional patterns with those for similarly low-income, community-dwelling people. Design and Methods:…

Purpose: This research provides state policy makers and others interested in developing needs-based reimbursement models for Medicaid-funded assisted living with an evaluation of different methodologies that affect the structure and outcomes of these models. Design and Methods: We used assessment data from Medicaid-enrolled assisted living…

The application of technology to the problems of the elderly will reduce the costs of care by providing additional help to the elderly so they can remain independent and will enhance the quality of life. Technology is divided into health care technology and ecological technology. (Author/ABB)

Explored sources of instrumental support for older persons (N=753) of varying levels of functional capacity. Results suggested that spouses are the primary source of help for married elders with impaired capacity; adult daughters are the major helpers when a spouse is not present. (Author/RC)

Assessed effect of changes in minimum number of activities of daily living (ALD) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) limitations, types of help, and duration of disability required on size of population potentially eligible for home care benefits. Only 411,000 elders met restrictive disability criteria; over 4 million would qualify…

Examined family networks of 47 geriatric stroke patients for social supports and problems as they related to well-being after hospital discharge. After controlling for patients' medical status at discharge, social supports were not associated with any outcomes examined. Social problems explained additional variance in personal adjustment and…

Used data from Channeling Demonstration to investigate relationship between program participation, utilization of formal in-home services, and client satisfaction in elderly population. Age, being male, severe Activities of Daily Living dependency, living alone with no informal support, provision of basic case management services, and utilization…

Over 80 percent of a sample of community-living elderly were self-sufficient in performing basic activities of daily living (ADL); only 18 percent were self-sufficient in performing instrumental ADL. Most elders who use long-term care assistance relied solely on the informal support network in both instrumental (86 percent) and basic (50 percent)…

Presents estimates of paraprofessional home care revenue and size, the composition of the industry, and the workforce incentives inherent in different forms of reimbursement. Findings from the review are discussed, including indications that industry's reliance on public funding places special importance on payment policies that recognize critical…