Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which length of residence in the country and country of origin are of importance to older immigrants’ use of long-term care services compared to native older people. The analyses were conducted on a population of over 65s living in the Municipality of Copenhagen on 1st Jan 2007. Information was drawn from the administrative registers of the Municipality of Copenhagen on the population’s use in 2007 of home care and of residential care in a nursing home. These data were combined by Statistics Denmark with demographic data, socio-economic data and data on the use of health services. It was found that older immigrants are less likely than ethnic Danes to use municipal long-term care services when other predisposing, enabling and need factors are controlled for. The difference is greatest between ethnic Danes and immigrants from non-western countries who have only lived in Denmark for a few years. The difference decreases the longer the immigrant has lived in the country. The findings may be explained, at least in part, by poorer language skills and poorer knowledge of the Danish welfare system among older immigrants and the fact that they are more likely to be cared for by relatives than ethnic Danes are. However, in the course of time language skills improve and knowledge of the system increases and life style with respect to care may approach that of older Danes.
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Communicated by H.-W. Wahl.
Appendix: Description of variables
Appendix: Description of variables
Variable | Explanation | Mean | SD | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dependent variables | |||||
Received personal care or help with domestic chores 2007 | =1 Received personal care or help with domestic chores | 0.34 | – | – | |
Did not receive personal care or help with domestic chores 2007 | =1 Did not receive personal care or help with domestic chores | 0.66 | – | – | |
Received help with domestic chores 2007 | =1 Received help with domestic chores | 0.29 | – | – | |
Did not receive help with domestic chores 2007 | =1 Did not receive help with domestic chores | 0.71 | – | – | |
Received personal care 2007 | =1 Received personal care | 0.23 | – | – | |
Did not receive personal care 2007 | =1 Did not receive personal care | 0.77 | – | – | |
Received residential care 2007 | =1 Received residential care | 0.08 | – | – | |
Did not receive residential care 2007 | =1 Did not receive residential care | 0.92 | – | – | |
Received long-term care 2007 | =1 Received long-term care | 0.39 | – | – | |
Did not receive long-term care 2007 | =1 Did not receive long-term care | 0.61 | – | – | |
Independent variables | |||||
Predisposing factors | |||||
Gender | =1 Man | 0.38 | – | – | |
Gender | =1 Woman | 0.62 | – | – | |
Age | =1 65–69 years | 0.27 | – | – | |
Age | =1 70–74 years | 0.21 | – | – | |
Age | =1 75–79 years | 0.18 | – | – | |
Age | =1 80+ years | 0.35 | – | – | |
Status of origin | =1 Ethnic Dane | 0.95 | – | – | |
Status of origin | =1 Immigrant from a western country and has lived in Denmark less than 10 years | 0.007 | – | – | |
Status of origin | =1 Immigrant from a western country and has lived in Denmark more than 10 years | 0.013 | – | – | |
Status of origin | =1 Immigrant from a non-western country and has lived in Denmark less than 10 years | 0.006 | – | – | |
Status of origin | =1 Immigrant from a non-western country and has lived in Denmark more than 10 years | 0.028 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 Blue-collar worker | 0.20 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 White-collar worker | 0.14 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 Manager or superior servant | 0.12 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 Self-employed | 0.04 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 Unemployed | 0.10 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 Outside the labour force | 0.23 | – | – | |
Previous occupation | =1 Occupation unknown | 0.18 | – | – | |
Education | =1 Primary school only | 0.39 | – | – | |
Education | =1 Skilled worker | 0.27 | – | – | |
Education | =1 Secondary school | 0.02 | – | – | |
Education | =1 Short or medium-cycle higher education | 0.09 | – | – | |
Education | =1 Long-cycle higher education | 0.04 | – | – | |
Education | =1 Education unknown | 0.20 | – | – | |
Enabling factors | |||||
Marital status | =1 Widow/widower | 0.34 | – | – | |
Marital status | =1 Divorced | 0.21 | – | – | |
Marital status | =1 Married | 0.35 | – | – | |
Marital status | =1 Unmarried | 0.10 | – | – | |
Household | =1 Live alone | 0.66 | – | – | |
Household | =1 Does not live alone | 0.34 | – | – | |
Income | Average yearly household income in 2004 and 2005 (10,000 DKK) | 17.402128 | 0.078717 | −154.511400 | 1709.485800 |
Need factors | |||||
Health insurance services | Number of health insurance services 2000–2005 | 193.85 | 0.73 | 1 | 3,037 |
Bed days | Number of bed days in hospital 2000–2005 | 1.9 | 0.02 | 0 | 581 |
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Hansen, E.B. Older immigrants’ use of public home care and residential care. Eur J Ageing 11, 41–53 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-013-0289-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-013-0289-1