A study of elderly migration flows during the last 12 months of life based on their use of services under Japanese long- term care insurance.

本研究的目的是澄清在长期护理保险（LTCI）制度下，在日本农村的末期老年人迁移流。数据包括2000年至2005年日本农村一个市政机构的所有索赔和生存数据。对693名65岁以上的人的数据进行了分析。517人（74.6%）在死亡当月使用了LTCI服务。此外，203人（39.3%）只使用探访服务。其中，约13%显示可能的移民流动。较高的死亡年龄和女性与这种移民流动有着显著的关联。因此，我们发现，患者的身体状况和/或护理环境影响了证明迁移流的可能性。

The purpose of study was to clarify the end-stage elderly migration flows under the long-term care insurance (LTCI) system in rural Japan. Data included all claims and survival data from 2000 to 2005 in one municipal body in rural Japan. Data were analyzed for about 693 persons over the age of 65. Five hundred seventeen persons (74.6%) used the LTCI service in their month of death. In addition, 203 persons (39.3%) used only the visiting service. Among them, about 13% showed possible migration flows. A higher age of death and a female gender were significantly associated with such migration flows. We therefore found that the patient' physical condition and/or care environment affected the likelihood of demonstrating migration flows.