| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000)
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| Research Abstract |
To assess the healthcare needs among the elderly in a community from the perspective of quality of life, a interview survey was carried out. The subjects were 154 persons more than 75 years old in a mountaneous area in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. In assessing quality of life (QOL), health preference (visual analogue scale, VAS), and the multiattribute quality of life (the McMaster Utilit y Index Mark III) were used. Needs for health care were assessed based on the results of assessment of QOL.Moreover, reliabilty of assessment of quality of life and healthcare needs was examined. The results were as follows.
1) VAS score (health prefernce) classified by age and sex ranged from 47 to 64. VAS score was relatively low among the very old peoples and women. However, a statistical significant was not observed. However, the proportion of impaired QOL was less than 20 percent in all items on the mesures of HUI.
2) The agreement of assessment in QOL ranged from 89% to 99%. Kappa statistics ranged from 0.6 to 1.0. These results shows the reliabilty of QOL assessment was considerably high.
3) High ranking health care needs, in both numbers and lenth of time required, consisted of home visit for instruction, medical care, and supprot for personal care. The proportion of needs not served was high in the supprot of personal care and houshold matters. The needs for reform of house environment consisted of reform of toilets, baths, and kitchens.
4) The agreement of assessment in healthcare needs ranged from 80% to 100%. Kappa statistics ranged from 0.3 to 0.7. These results shows the reliabilty of needs assessment was at a medium level.
5) The costs for meeting health care needs which had not been served were estimated to be $6,000 per month. On the other hand, the costs of housing adaptation was estimated to be $110, 000.
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