Abstract:

Investigates recent historical trends in medical care use, hospitalization, & long-term care utilization by the elderly to estimate the respective impact of demographic & service provision factors. Analysis is based on a review of empirical data gathered in British Columbia over the last decade. Sources of error about the effects of an aging population on health care costs are discussed, focusing primarily on the confusion between changes in patterns of care for particular age groups & changes in overall care levels. While utilization has increased dramatically among seniors, it is due less to growth in their numbers than to a rise in health services provided to them over the past decade. It is thus suggested that the central concern should be over what constitutes the appropriate care of aged persons, not the effects of their demographic proportions.