LoGiudice D, Waltrowicz W, Ames D, Brown K, Burrows C, Flicker L
National Ageing Research Intitute, University of Melbourne, Vic.
Aust N Z J Public Health. 1997 Jun;21(3):311-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-842x.1997.tb01705.x.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect cognitive impairment has on direct and indirect costs to elderly people, their carers and the community over one year, by following prospectively a cohort of elderly people referred to an aged care assessment team. The 78 subjects were drawn from a random sample of people referred to the NorthWest Hospital team, and validated tools were used to assess their cognitive state. Outcome measures included total costs of community services, residential care, hospital bed use, carer burden and psychological morbidity. A comparison of outcome measures was made between those with cognitive impairment and those without. Use of community services and hospital beds was high overall. Those with cognitive impairment were substantially greater users of residential care, accounting for the higher expenditure in this group. Psychological morbidity and burden remain high in carers of those with cognitive impairment despite a high rate of institutionalisation in this group. The total costs for those referred to aged care assessment teams with cognitive impairment are double those seen for those with normal cognition.
本研究的目的是，通过对一组转介至老年护理评估团队的老年人进行前瞻性跟踪，确定认知障碍在一年时间内对老年人、其护理人员及社区产生的直接和间接成本的影响。78名受试者取自转介至西北医院团队的人员随机样本，并使用经过验证的工具评估他们的认知状态。结果指标包括社区服务、机构护理、住院床位使用、护理人员负担和心理疾病的总成本。对有认知障碍者和无认知障碍者的结果指标进行了比较。社区服务和住院床位的总体使用率较高。有认知障碍者对机构护理的使用量大幅增加，这导致了该组的更高支出。尽管该组的机构化比例较高，但认知障碍者的护理人员的心理疾病和负担仍然很高。转介至老年护理评估团队的有认知障碍者的总成本是认知正常者的两倍。
