Factors influencing the use of mobility technology in community-based long-term care.
OBJECTIVE
This article adapts a framework commonly used to model personal long-term care services to examine factors influencing the use of mobility-related assistive devices, both in isolation and in combination with personal care.


METHODS
The authors analyze data from Phase 2 of the 1994-1995 National Health Interview Survey Disability Supplements to compare predictors of equipment use with those for personal care and rank the probabilities of using particular combinations according to health needs, access, and personal and family characteristics.


RESULTS
The authors find that underlying health needs are the dominant factor related to the type of care arrangement used. The typical person with a mobility-related disability is most likely to use equipment alone; only at younger ages or at greater levels of severity are other arrangements expected to dominate.


CONCLUSIONS
Research on the dynamic acquisition process, with attention to age and trajectories of disability severity, is needed to fully understand the integration of technology and personal care.
Agree
Emily M
EM
Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Freedman
Vicki A
VA
Sengupta
Manisha
M
D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D017028:Caregivers; D003153:Community Health Services; D003710:Demography; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008875:Middle Aged; D009069:Movement Disorders; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People