How does the mobility of the elderly affect health care delivery in the U.S.A.?
This review essay explores the mobile elderly's impact upon health care services in the U.S.A. Particular attention is placed on the strategic decisions made by the elderly in preparation for their moves, the mediation of cost factors as they pertain to socioeconomic status and institutional provisions for illness treatment, and the extent to which provider services are responsive to changes in demand. The discussion is structured around five questions: 1) what health care strategies do international elderly seasonal migrants use; 2) do seasonal migrants in popular destination cities in the U.S.A. seasonally burden the service system; 3) does the concentration of retirees in rural communities burden the health care system over time; 4) can the territorial patterns of movement to nursing homes in rural counties be viewed in market terms; and 5) does the migration of older veterans have a measurable impact on the veterans administration in the U.S.A.? The most illustrative study to answer each question was reviewed.
Longino
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Reynolda Gerontology Program, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA.
Taplin
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D000368:Aged; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006801:Humans; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014481:United States