On Wednesday 8 April, a session of the ISEG Research Seminars will take place from 13.00 to 14.00. The guest speaker will be Ricardo Rodrigues.
The ISEG Research Seminars are held every week on Wednesdays, with the participation of professors from ISEG, as well as from other Portuguese and international educational institutions.
Title
A dynamic approach to unmet needs in long-term care for older people across Europe
Abstract
Studies on unmet needs in long-term care (LTC) have focused on specific time points and have not taken a dynamic approach that considers changes across time. Using longitudinal data from the SHARE survey (2011-2022), this study analyzes trajectories of unmet needs for care and support with ADLs and IADLs across Europe, following individuals for up to nine years after the onset of needs. Latent Profile Analysis shows five types of trajectories defined by time till onset of unmet needs, number of changes of state, time spent with unmet needs, limitations with ADLs and IADLs and age at onset of needs. Three of these trajectories are marked by early periods of unmet needs (Short and Long Delayed Met Needs, and High Needs and Delayed Met Needs). Two trajectories are more ambivalent (U-shaped Met Needs) or outright positive (Met Needs From the Onset) in their profiles. An overwhelming majority of older people experience unmet needs at some point after the onset of needs. Multivariate analysis of determinants of these trajectories shows that having a cohabiting spouse or partner and higher income are associated with trajectories where care is available early on. Country-level public expenditure on LTC is also a strong determinant of belonging to different trajectories. The research further explores the association of these trajectories with mortality and mean number of ADLs and IADLs.
