Abstract:

As the aging of the population accelerates in the coming decades, the use of formal services by elderly persons will become an important issue. This article presents the findings of a study on the pattern of utilization of out-of-home services and in-home services among a cohort of social security beneficiaries in the 10 years after their retirement. The study found that the determinants of the use of these two types of services are distinctly different. For example, the variable health impairments is related to the use of in-home services but not out-of-home services; on the other hand, education is related to the use of out-of-home services but not in-home services. The implications of these findings for social work practice are discussed.