VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND THE USE OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL HOME CARE IN CANADA: THE CANADIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON AGING

• Main Authors: Freeman, E, Aljied, R, Aubin, M, Buhrmann, R
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2018
• Subjects: Abstracts; Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6239495/; https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy031.3436

Access to home care services can allow people to continue to live at home in the face of disabling health conditions like vision loss. Our goal was to determine the use of home care services in those with and without visual impairment in Canada. Participants came from the baseline exam of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Comprehensive Cohort. Inclusion criteria included being between the ages of 45 and 85 years old, community-dwelling, and living near one of the 11 data collection sites across 7 Canadian provinces. People were excluded if they were in an institution, living on a First Nations reserve, a full-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces, did not speak French or English, or had cognitive impairment. Presenting visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart at 2 meters. Visual impairment was defined as binocular acuity worse than 20/60. In 29,640 people, the use of any home care was greater in those with visual impairment than in those without (28% versus 12%, respectively, P<0.01). After adjusting for demographics and health, people with visual impairment were more likely to use informal home care (OR=1.98, 95% CI 1.41–2.80) and formal home care either alone or along with informal care (OR=2.83, 95% CI 1.85–4.34) than those without visual impairment. Marital status was a modifier. These findings warrant further exploration and have major health service implications given the rising prevalence of visual impairment due to age-related eye diseases.