Factors associated with the awareness and utilization of health and social services for the elderly

本研究的目的是探讨与老年人对健康和社会服务的认识和利用相关的因素。406例虚弱老年人，虚弱老年人的代表性样本是基于东京郊区的ADL和认知障碍水平从23，597名65岁或65岁以上的人中筛选的。本研究透过访谈这些体弱老人的主要照顾者，并选取家务助理服务、日间服务、暂托服务、探访护士服务等四种服务，调查他们对服务的认知、服务利用及服务使用意愿。发现以下因素与意识、利用或意图有关：体弱老人的性别和年龄，体弱老人的日常生活能力和认知障碍水平，家庭结构，家庭经济状况，照顾者的性别、年龄、关系和教育水平，照顾者的工作年限和程度，照顾者的健康状况，照顾者是否有工作，以及是否有一个人存在。

A purpose of the study is to investigate factors associated with the awareness and utilization of health and social services for the elderly. 406 cases of the frail elderly, a representative sample of the frail elderly are screened from 23,597 persons who are sixty five years or older based on the level of ADL and cognitive disorders in a suburban area of Tokyo. Primary caregivers of these frail older persons are interviewed.Four services, which are home help services, day services, respite services, visiting nurse services are selected to investigate awareness of services, utilization of services, and intention to use services. The following factors are found to be associated with the awareness, the utilization or the intention : sex and age of frail elderly, level of ADL and cognitive disorders of frail elderly, household structure, economic status of household, sex, age, relationship, and level of education of caregivers, length and degree of caregiving, health status of caregivers, whether or not caregivers have a job, and whether or not a person who assis caregiving exist.