title: Consumer panel study on elderly people's wishes concerning services.
abstract: This study informs on the wishes and needs of elderly people themselves regarding services for the elderly. The data for the study were gathered using a consumer panel method. Elderly people desire assistance in heavy cleaning chores, in outdoor activities and in carrying out their personal business. Elderly people felt that there should be more recreational services available. Elderly people link aging with feelings of insecurity and loneliness. Becoming a service user for the first time is felt to be a very difficult step to take, and so this decision is postponed as long as possible. The elderly people desire a service for assessing their individual service needs in an organized, expert and objective fashion. The study indicates that elderly people value the human contact gained through service provision. The consumer panel method for collecting data was successful.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Structural Engineering and Building Technology, Helsinki University of Technology, Box 2100, 02015 TKK, Finland.
authors.forename: Noora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Valkila
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Litja
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aalto
authors.forename: Arto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saari
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003256:Community Participation; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011998:Recreation; D012944:Social Support