Examining Consequences Related to Unmet Care Needs Across the Long-Term Care Continuum

Key Informants' Visions and Solutions to Improve Home- and Community-Based Services for Older Adults and Persons With Dementia

Recent decades have seen state successes in rebalancing Medicaid long-term care from institutional care (e.g., nursing homes) into home and community settings. However, significant barriers can prevent access to home and community-based services (HCBS) among older adults and persons with dementia. Qualitative research on potential innovations and solutions in the contemporary context with attention to a wider range of state-level policy contexts is limited. Drawing on interviews with 49 key informants including state Medicaid officials, HCBS providers, and advocates for persons with dementia across 11 states, we examined perceived solutions to barriers. Key informants articulated a range of potential solutions and innovations, ranging from tangible or realized policy changes to 'magic wand' solutions. Policy research has typically focused on the former; excluding the latter may miss opportunities to envision and design a more effective long-term care system for persons living with dementia and older adults.

Race/Ethnicity, Nativity, and Gender Disparities in Unmet Care Needs Among Older Adults in the United States

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Although disparities in disability and the unequal distribution of care resources are widely discussed in the literature, there has been less research on disparities in experiencing unmet care needs among older adults. This study aims to investigate how unmet care needs are unevenly distributed across social groups with various intersecting identities, such as race/ethnicity, nativity, and gender, although considering their care needs and care networks, drawing on the conceptual framework of the pathway to unmet needs.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The data for this study came from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2018), and the study sample consisted of 7,061 Medicare beneficiaries who needed assistance with daily activities. Questions about unmet care needs were in the form of consequences related to difficulty or lack of help with daily activities. Mixed-effects negative binomial regression models were used to predict rates of unmet needs.

RESULTS

Older adults of color, especially women, experienced higher rates of unmet care needs compared with their White and male counterparts. Although Black-White and gender differences in unmet needs were mostly explained by unequal exposures to care needs and differential care networks, Hispanic women and foreign-born Hispanic men were still at a disadvantage even after adjusting for these covariates.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

These results emphasize the importance of adopting an intersectional approach to enhance the quality of long-term services and support for older adults facing social disadvantages.

Paid Care for People with Functional Impairment and Serious Illness: Results from the Health and Retirement Study

BACKGROUND

Paid caregivers (e.g., home health aides) care for individuals living at home with functional impairment and serious illnesses (health conditions with high risk of mortality that impact function and quality of life).

OBJECTIVE

To characterize those who receive paid care and identify factors associated with receipt of paid care in the context of serious illness and socioeconomic status.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Community-dwelling participants ≥ 65 years enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) between 1998 and 2018 with new-onset functional impairment (e.g., bathing, dressing) and linked fee-for-service Medicare claims (n = 2521).

MAIN MEASURES

Dementia was identified using HRS responses and non-dementia serious illness (e.g., advanced cancer, end-stage renal disease) was identified using Medicare claims. Paid care support was identified using HRS survey report of paid help with functional tasks.

KEY RESULTS

While about 27% of the sample received paid care, those with both dementia and non-dementia serious illnesses in addition to functional impairment received the most paid care (41.7% received ≥ 40 h of paid care per week). In multivariable models, those with Medicaid were more likely to receive any paid care (p < 0.001), but those in the highest income quartile received more hours of paid care (p = 0.05) when paid care was present. Those with non-dementia serious illness were more likely to receive any paid care (p < 0.001), but those with dementia received more hours of care (p < 0.001) when paid care was present.

CONCLUSIONS

Paid caregivers play a significant role in meeting the care needs of those with functional impairment and serious illness and high paid care hours are common among those with dementia in particular. Future work should explore how paid caregivers can collaborate with families and healthcare teams to improve the health and well-being of the seriously ill throughout the income spectrum.