Abstract:

Interview, clinical assessment, & secondary data from the 1991/92 Manitoba Study of Health & Aging were used to compare the utilization & direct costs of formal community care services among 226 elderly (ages 65+) diagnosed as having no cognitive impairment, cognitive impairment/no dementia, or dementia. Analyses indicate that, in addition to living arrangement & limitation on basic & instrumental activities of daily living, mental function diagnosis is an independent predictor of community care use. A diagnosis of dementia increases the likelihood of community care use over those with unimpaired mental functioning, whereas cognitive impairment without dementia does not. The three diagnostic groups differ in the type of service used. Standardization by age, sex, & other variables that significantly affect the need for community care can help a program improve its ability to project realistic cost estimates.