Accessibility of health and social services to immigrant elders: the Islington Study.
BACKGROUND
Numbers of immigrant elders are increasing and it is unclear whether they can access services.


OBJECTIVE
To examine service utilisation of older immigrants compared with their UK-born counterparts and relate it to health difficulties. Method Cross-sectional study in inner London measuring service use, mental health and disability.


RESULTS
A total of 1085 people aged > or = 65 years were interviewed. Independent predictors of contact with a general practitioner included being born in Cyprus. Cypriots were the only immigrant population to report significantly more somatic symptoms than those born in the UK (P=0.005). Africans and Caribbeans used day care and other social services most frequently.


CONCLUSIONS
Immigrants could access services. Africans and Caribbeans appear to have poorer physical health and thus have greater contact with services. Cypriots who experience depression may present with prominent somatic symptoms. This is likely to be due to a different idiom of distress.
Livingston
G
G
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Royal Free and University Medical School, London, UK. g.livingston@ucl.ac.uk
Leavey
G
G
Kitchen
G
G
Manela
M
M
Sembhi
S
S
Katona
C
C
D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003535:Cyprus / Q000208:ethnology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012947:Social Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*