Menzies Centre for Health Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Health Soc Care Community. 2011 Sep;19(5):485-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2011.00994.x. Epub 2011 Apr 1.
People, along with their families, feel the impact of chronic illness in many areas of their lives. It has been known that those with chronic illness leave the workforce earlier than their peers, have lower incomes and often need additional support to manage their health and lives. However, limited information is available about whether chronic illness is already present prior to retirement, or has developed subsequently. Similarly, we know little about what personal and household assistance is needed by people with chronic illness. In this study, a random sample of 10 000 members of National Seniors Australia, stratified by age and state of residence, were surveyed by post between August and September 2009 and asked about their chronic illnesses along with their age at diagnosis. In addition, participants were asked about their need for assistance with everyday household tasks and personal care. Responses were received from 4574 respondents, a response rate of 45.7%. Of those responding, 82.2% reported having at least one chronic illness at the time of the survey. The study confirms that ill health leads to earlier retirement from the workforce, and those who are sickest require more assistance with their household tasks and personal care. Each additional chronic illness present at age 50 reduced working life by a year, and each present at age 60 by 0.7 years. Diabetes, arthritis and depression were significantly related to earlier retirement. The impact was greatest for both continued workforce participation and need for assistance for those suffering from depression or anxiety. The relationships between health, workforce participation and need for assistance in daily activities are complex. Further research is required to uncover this complexity; nevertheless, the findings highlight the need to review the adequacy of current social and health policy for this particular population.
人们及其家人在生活的许多方面都感受到了慢性病的影响。众所周知，患有慢性病的人比同龄人更早地离开工作岗位，收入较低，并且通常需要额外的支持来管理他们的健康和生活。然而，关于慢性病是否在退休前已经存在，或者随后是否已经发展，我们所掌握的信息有限。同样，我们也不太了解患有慢性病的人需要哪些个人和家庭援助。在这项研究中，通过邮寄方式对澳大利亚全国老年人协会的 10000 名随机样本进行了调查，这些样本按年龄和居住州进行分层，并于 2009 年 8 月至 9 月间进行了调查，询问了他们的慢性病以及诊断时的年龄。此外，还询问了他们在日常家务和个人护理方面是否需要帮助。共收到 4574 名受访者的回复，回复率为 45.7%。在做出回应的人群中，82.2%的人在调查时报告患有至少一种慢性病。这项研究证实，健康状况不佳会导致更早地从劳动力中退休，而病情最严重的人则需要更多的家务和个人护理帮助。在 50 岁时每增加一种慢性病会使工作寿命减少一年，而在 60 岁时每增加一种则会减少 0.7 年。糖尿病、关节炎和抑郁症与提前退休显著相关。对于患有抑郁症或焦虑症的人来说，继续工作和需要帮助的影响最大。健康状况、劳动力参与和日常活动援助需求之间的关系是复杂的。需要进一步研究以揭示这种复杂性；尽管如此，这些发现强调了需要审查当前针对这一特定人群的社会和健康政策的充分性。
