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Service utilization by well-organized frail elderly individuals
1Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
International Journal of Aging & Human Development
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Frail elderly individuals in the System to Assure Elderly Services (STAES) program effectively utilize social services, particularly in-home care. This challenges assumptions about service usage among those most in need.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Social Work
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Legislation aims to support elderly individuals with social services.
- Actual utilization of these services by the elderly remains uncertain.
- Previous literature suggests lower service uptake than actual usage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the service utilization patterns of elderly individuals in the STAES program.
- To determine if frail elderly individuals use social services more than previously thought.
- To explain the effective use of public social services by STAES participants.
Main Methods:
- Study of an innovative program: System to Assure Elderly Services (STAES).
- Focus on frail elderly individuals in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Analysis of in-home service usage (homemaker, visiting nurse).
Main Results:
- Frail elderly individuals in STAES use services more extensively than literature suggests.
- In-home services are utilized by elderly individuals with greater needs.
- STAES program design facilitates effective service use.
Conclusions:
- The STAES program demonstrates successful social service delivery to the frail elderly.
- Elderly individuals with higher needs are active users of in-home support.
- Programmatic factors contribute to effective public social service utilization.