title: Community care for demented and non-demented elderly people: a comparison study of financial burden, service use, and unmet needs in family supporters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure and compare perceived financial burden, use of services, and perceived unmet service needs of supporters of demented and non-demented elderly people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparison study of age and sex matched demented and non-demented elderly people and their supporters.
  
  
  METHODS
  25 primary health care teams in Dundee.
  
  
  METHODS
  114 community resident elderly (age over 65) people with dementia, 114 age and sex matched comparators, and the main informal supporter of each elderly person.
  
  
  METHODS
  Carers' perceptions of financial impact of looking after an old person, service use (from a list of locally available services), unmet service needs, and needs for three types of generic service (help with supervision, housework, or personal care).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Financial impact was low, except for extra household expense in the dementia group. There was significantly greater use of mainstream domiciliary and day care services in the dementia group. Dementia was nevertheless associated with a high level of unmet need, mainly for more mainstream support and help with supervision of the elderly person.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supervisory care for demented elderly people should be further developed within an expanded domiciliary service to meet supporters needs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Victoria Hospital, Dundee.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Philp
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meldrum
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Ballinger
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gilhooly
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Mutch
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Whittick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003704:Dementia / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012606:Scotland