The direct cost of disability of community-dwelling older persons in Belgium

Current policies aim to promote and develop community-based support of disabled elderly persons, yet knowledge of the cost implications is insufficient. Thus, we aimed to estimate, for three disability profiles and three presence levels of the main informal carer (none, non-cohabitant, cohabitant),...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ageing and society 2021-10, Vol.41 (10), p.2214-2241
Main Authors: Cès, Sophie, Lambert, Anne-Sophie, de Almeida Mello, Johanna, Declercq, Anja, Speybroeck, Niko, Annemans, Lieven, Macq, Jean
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Caregivers
Cognitive ability
Cognitive impairment
Community support
Costs
Cross-sectional studies
Dementia
Disability
Expenditures
Functional impairment
Funding
Health care
Health insurance
Health services
Home health care
Independent living
Informal care
Long term health care
Nursing care
Older people
People with disabilities
Personal grooming
Social services
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Summary:Current policies aim to promote and develop community-based support of disabled elderly persons, yet knowledge of the cost implications is insufficient. Thus, we aimed to estimate, for three disability profiles and three presence levels of the main informal carer (none, non-cohabitant, cohabitant), the cost of formal and informal support currently provided at home in Belgium. In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 5,642 disabled elderly persons living at home was established between 2010 and 2016. The administrative database of the Belgian public healthcare insurance was merged with other prospective data on social care service utilisation, informal care and disability. The total cost of formal support ranged from €725 to €1,344 (on average, per person, per month), depending on the three disability profiles identified. Twenty-five per cent of persons with the highest level of disability (important functional limitations and cognitive impairment) and helped by a cohabitant carer, had a low total cost of formal support: below €382 per month. Informal care represented the main cost component of total support costs in the three disability profiles (between 64 and 76%). To prevent the worsening of situations of disabled older persons and their informal carers, better detection of seriously disabled persons with low levels of formal support is crucial.
ISSN:0144-686X
1469-1779
DOI:10.1017/S0144686X20000045