Spatial Analysis of Home and Community-Based Services and Number of Deaths Among Older Adults in Taiwan

• Published in: Journal of applied gerontology Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 261 - 275
• Main Authors: Lin, Tzu-Yu, Yu, Hsiao-Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2024; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Aged; Community; Community Health Services; Foster care; Home Care Services; Humans; Long term health care; Long-Term Care; Mortality; Older people; Respite care; Services; Spatial Analysis; Taiwan; Taiwan; mortality among older adults; spatial autocorrelation analysis; geographical disparity; home- and community-based services
• ISSN: 0733-4648; 1552-4523; 1552-4523
• DOI: 10.1177/07334648231214911

This study examined the geographical distribution of home- and community-based services (HCBS) resources in Taiwan’s Long-Term Care 2.0 policy and explored its association with the number of deaths among older adults. The main outcome of the study was determination of the number of deaths among older adults in townships (N = 346) in 2021. The results showed that home-based HCBS had a significant positive association with mortality among older adults; moreover, community-based and complementary services, which are highly clustered within a township and among its neighbors, exert a significant protective effect on mortality among older adults. Stratified analyses showed a significantly lower mortality among older adults using adult foster care and transportation services, but a significantly higher mortality among older adults using home-based professional care and respite care services, after considering the sociodemographic characteristics of older adults, urbanization, and the number of long-term care resources in the spatial analysis.