Department of Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Block AS3, National University of Singapore, Level 4, 3 Arts Link, Singapore 117570, Singapore.
Gerontologist. 2010 Feb;50(1):87-99. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnp105. Epub 2009 Jul 2.
The article seeks to identify patterns of service utilization among informal caregivers of frail older adults. In particular, the study examined determinants that explain heterogeneous variations in caregivers' service use patterns.
Using a latent class analysis (LCA) on the 2004 National Long-Term Care Survey and Informal Caregiver data (n = 1,908), this study classifies overall patterns of caregiver service utilization: financial information, support group, respite service, day care or senior center, personal or nursing care, housework, meal delivery, transportation, house modification, and assistive devices. With an emphasis on caregivers' service use patterns and social network derived from the Network Episode Model, the modified Andersen model guides determinants of these patterns.
The LCA classified a hierarchical structure of service use patterns: multiple service users, selective in-home service users, and light service users. Caregivers' network compositions signified heterogeneity in service use patterns. Care recipient- and caregiver-related needs contributed to distinguishing service use patterns.
Differentiation of services may be important for meeting caregivers' needs and distributing program resources by identifying target populations for intervention. This typology process may tailor specific interventions to better support caregivers.
本文旨在确定体弱老年人非正式照顾者的服务利用模式。具体而言，本研究考察了解释照顾者服务使用模式异质性变化的决定因素。
本研究使用 2004 年国家长期护理调查和非正式照顾者数据（n=1908）的潜在类别分析（LCA），对照顾者的整体服务利用模式进行分类：财务信息、支持小组、暂息服务、日托或老年人中心、个人或护理、家务、送餐、交通、房屋改造和辅助设备。在强调照顾者的服务使用模式和网络情节模型中得出的社会网络的基础上，对模式的决定因素进行了修正的安德森模型指导。
LCA 对服务使用模式进行了分层结构的分类：多服务使用者、选择性家庭服务使用者和轻度服务使用者。照顾者的网络构成标志着服务使用模式的异质性。照顾对象和照顾者的相关需求有助于区分服务使用模式。
通过确定干预的目标人群，区分服务可能对满足照顾者的需求和分配计划资源很重要。这种分类过程可以为更好地支持照顾者量身定制特定的干预措施。
