Costs and cognitive disability: modelling the underlying associations

BACKGROUND

The high support needs of elderly people with cognitive disability raise questions about the cost-effectiveness of different treatments. Associations between costs and cognitive disability could be influenced by other factors, particularly comorbidities.

AIMS

To examine the links between costs and cognitive disability in the context of covariates.

METHOD

Secondary analyses of data from the UK Office of Population Censuses and Surveys disability surveys for over 4500 elderly people living in households were used to examine associations between cost and cognitive disability.

RESULTS

Costs varied considerably, and were associated with severity of disability along a number of dimensions. The cost-raising effects of cognitive disability were smaller when the analyses controlled for levels of disability in other domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive disability is significantly associated with higher costs, but these analyses highlight the need to examine a range of disabilities.