Determinants of home care utilization among the Swedish old : nationwide register-based study

• Since the 1990s, Sweden has implemented aging-in-place policies increasing the share of older adults dependent on home care instead of residing in care homes. At the same time previous research has highlighted that individuals receive home care at a higher age than before. Consequently, services are provided for a shorter time before death, increasing reliance on family and kin as caregivers. Previous studies addressing how homecare is distributed rely primarily on small surveys and are often limited to specific regions. This study aims to ascertain how home care services are distributed regarding individual-level factors such as health status, living arrangements, availability of family, education, and socioeconomic position. To provide estimates that can be generalized to Sweden as a whole, we use register data for the entire Swedish population aged 65 + in 2016. The study's main findings are that home care recipients and the amount of care received are among the oldest old with severe co morbidities. Receiving home care is slightly more common among women, but only in the highest age groups. Childlessness and socioeconomic factors play a small role in who receives home care or not. Instead, the primary home care recipients are those older adults living alone who lack direct support from family members residing in the same household.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Geriatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Geriatrics (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap -- Gerontologi, medicinsk/hälsovetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences -- Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Home care

Living arrangements

Health

Municipal care

Sweden

befolkningsstudier

Population studies

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)