Department of Healthcare Administration, Asia University, 500 Liufeng Rd., Wufeng, Taichung 41354, Taiwan.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2011 Nov-Dec;53(3):298-302. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2010.12.003. Epub 2011 Feb 3.
The study aimed to examine the determinants of needing formal care and the factors impacting care arrangements in elderly Taiwanese by analyzing the 1999 and 2003 data of "The Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan", a prospective cohort study of older Taiwanese. For the purpose of this study, only participants 70 years or older were analyzed. The association of sociodemographic, lifestyle and health-related variables with care need and care arrangements at baseline and four years later were analyzed. Results showed that the major predictors of needing formal care in elderly Taiwanese were old age, cognitive impairment and functional disability. Self-perceived poor health and prior nursing-home admission were marginally significant. Results also showed that the traditional culture dictated care arrangement. Most elderly Taiwanese preferred to have private home carers (usually from neighboring countries) over institutionalization. The ratio of private care vs. institutionalization increased from 1:3 in 1999 to 1:1 in 2003 as the government allowed introducing more foreign carers. Results suggest that the major determinants of needing formal care in elderly Taiwanese are old age, and cognitive and functional impairments, similar to that observed in Western countries. However, culture and public policy impact care options.
本研究旨在通过分析“台湾老年人健康与生活状况调查”的 1999 年和 2003 年数据，研究影响台湾老年人需要正式护理和护理安排的因素。该研究是一项对台湾老年人进行的前瞻性队列研究，仅分析了 70 岁及以上的参与者。本研究分析了社会人口统计学、生活方式和与健康相关的变量与基线及四年后护理需求和护理安排的关系。结果表明，影响台湾老年人需要正式护理的主要因素是年龄较大、认知障碍和功能障碍。自我感知健康状况不佳和以前住过养老院与需要正式护理呈边缘显著相关。研究结果还表明，传统文化决定了护理安排。大多数台湾老年人更喜欢私人家庭护理员（通常来自邻国），而不是机构护理。随着政府允许引入更多的外国护理员，私人护理与机构护理的比例从 1999 年的 1:3 增加到 2003 年的 1:1。结果表明，影响台湾老年人需要正式护理的主要因素是年龄较大，以及认知和功能障碍，这与西方国家的观察结果相似。然而，文化和公共政策影响着护理选择。
