Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

This study aims to increase understanding of the effects of individual and societal characteristics on older adults' care use in two ways. First, we examine the effects of socio-economic status (gender, race, education, marital status, income, and social support) on older adults' informal and/or formal home care use. Second, we study whether care use of older adults have different health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction) by informal and/or formal home care. Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey - Healthy Aging 2009 collected by the Statistics Canada, this study applies quantitative analyses. Among older adults with functional limitation, about 31% received No Care; 11% received Formal Care only; 31% received Informal Care only; 27% received both Formal and Informal Care. People who received Formal Home Care Only were more likely to live alone, had more education, and had less social support when compared to people with No Care. People who received Informal Home Care Only were more likely to be women, less likely to be married, and had more social support when compared to people with No Care. People who received Both Formal and Informal Home Care were more likely to live alone, more likely to be women, white, higher educated, and less likely to be married. Social support rather than financial resources emerge as the main determinants of receiving home care. Also, social support was positively associated with Informal Care, whereas it is negatively related to Formal Care. The findings from the population-based data will inform how the health of older Canadian populations and the health delivery system for older adults with functional impairment can be improved. Specifically, the findings will provide implications for policy and practice to improve the accessibility and availability of home care use.