Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Older immigrants’ use of public home care and residential care

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
European Journal of Ageing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which length of residence in the country and country of origin are of importance to older immigrants’ use of long-term care services compared to native older people. The analyses were conducted on a population of over 65s living in the Municipality of Copenhagen on 1st Jan 2007. Information was drawn from the administrative registers of the Municipality of Copenhagen on the population’s use in 2007 of home care and of residential care in a nursing home. These data were combined by Statistics Denmark with demographic data, socio-economic data and data on the use of health services. It was found that older immigrants are less likely than ethnic Danes to use municipal long-term care services when other predisposing, enabling and need factors are controlled for. The difference is greatest between ethnic Danes and immigrants from non-western countries who have only lived in Denmark for a few years. The difference decreases the longer the immigrant has lived in the country. The findings may be explained, at least in part, by poorer language skills and poorer knowledge of the Danish welfare system among older immigrants and the fact that they are more likely to be cared for by relatives than ethnic Danes are. However, in the course of time language skills improve and knowledge of the system increases and life style with respect to care may approach that of older Danes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albertsson M, Albin B, Siwertson C, Hjelm K (2004) Consuming care and social services: comparisons between Swedish-born older people and older people born outside Sweden. Practice 16(2):99–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali JS, McDermott S, Gravel RG (2004) Recent research on immigrant health from statistics Canada’s population surveys. Can J Public Health 95(3):I9–I13

    Google Scholar 

  • Alwin DF, Wray LA (2005) A life-span developmental perspective on social status and health. J Gerontol B 60B:7–14 (special issue II)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen RM (1995) Revisiting the behavioral model and access to medical care: does it matter? J Health Soc Behav 36(1):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen RM, Davidson PL (2001) Improving access to care in America: individual and contextual indicators. In: Andersen R, Rice T, Kominski G (eds) Changing the U.S. health care system: key issues in health services, policy and management. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersen R, Newman JF (1973) Societal and individual determinants of medical care utilization in the United States. Milbank Meml Fund Q Health Soc 51(1):95–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calsyn RJ, Winter JP (2000) Predicting different types of service use by the elderly: the strength of the behavioral model and the value of interaction terms. J Appl Gerontol 19(3):284–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denktas S (2011) Health and health care use of elderly immigrants in the Netherlands. Thesis Erasmus University Rotterdam. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/22648/110309_Denktas,%20Semiha.pdf. Accessed 15 Jan 2013

  • Dupont H, Fatum MH (2007) Forestillinger, ønsker og forventninger til ældreplejen blandt ældre med etnisk minoritetsbaggrund. Kvalitativ borgerundersøgelse. Folkesund-hed København, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Egeblad C (2005) Ældre etniske borgeres syn på alderdommen og den danske ældreomsorgs mulig-heder. Styrelsen for Social Service, Odense

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson T (1996) Hur möter äldreomsorgen invandrare? Soc Med Tidskr 73:372–378

    Google Scholar 

  • Fatum MH, Madsen JSS (2007) Ældre etniske københavnere i tal. Folkesundhed København, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerritsen AAM, Bramsen I, Deville W, van Willigen LHM, Hovens JE, van der Ploeg HM (2006) Use of health care services by Afghan, Iranian, and Somali refugees and asylum seekers living in the Netherlands. Eur J Public Health 16(4):394–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldman DP, Smith JP, Sood N (2006) Immigrants and the cost of medical care. Health Aff 25(6):1700–1711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves S, Friedland JS, Gothard P, Saxena S, Millington H, Eliahoo J, le Feuvre P, Holmes A (2006) Impact on and use of health services by international migrants: questionnaire survey of inner city London A&E attenders. BMC Health Serv Res 6:153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley C, Panagiotopoulos G, Tsianikas M, Newman L, Walker R (2012) Access and acceptability of community-based services for older Greek migrants in Australia: user and provider perspectives. Health Soc Care Community. 25 Sep 2012. doi:10.1111/hsc.12000

  • Larsson K, Thorslund M, Kåreholt I (2006) Are public care and services for older people targeted according to need? Applying the behavioural model on longitudinal data of a Swedish urban older population. Eur J Ageing 3:22–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leclere FB, Jensen L, Biddlecom AE (1994) Health care utilization, family context, and adaptation among immigrants to the United States. J Health Soc Behav 35(4):370–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowenstein A, Katz R, Daatland SO (2004) Filial norms and integenerational support in Europe and Israel: a comparative perspective. Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr 24:200–223

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald JT, Kennedy S (2004) Insights into the ‘healthy immigrant effect’: health status and health service use of immigrants to Canada. Soc Sci Med 59:1613–1627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohanty SA, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU, Pati S, Carraquillo O, Bor DH (2005) Health care expenditures of immigrants in the United States: a nationally representative analysis. Am J Public Health 95(8):1431–1438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moon A, Lubben JE, Villa V (1998) Awareness and utilization of community long-term care services by elderly Korean and non-hispanic white Americans. Gerontology 38(3):309–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nergård TB (2008) Eldre indvandreres bruk av pleie- og omsorgstjenester. Norsk Institutt for Forskning om Appvekst, Velferd og Aldring, Oslo

    Google Scholar 

  • Radermacher H, Feldman S, Browning C et al (2009) Mainstream versus ethno-specific community aged care services: it’s not an ‘either or’. Aust J Ageing 28(2):58–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reijneveld SA (1998) Reported health, lifestyles, and use of health care of first generation immigrants in the Netherlands: do socioeconomic factors explain their adverse position? J Epidiomol Community Health 52:298–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schellingerhout R (ed) (2004) Health and well-being of older ethnic minorities. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research. http://www.scp.nl/english/Publications/Summaries_by_year/Summaries_2004/Health_and_well_being_of_older_members_of_ethnic_minorities/Health_and_well_being_of_older_members_of_ethnic_minorities. Accessed 17 Feb 2011

  • Solé-Auró A, Guillén M, Crimmins EM (2012) Health care usage among immigrants and native-born elderly populations in eleven European countries: results from SHARE. Eur J Health Econ 13(6):741–754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stronks K, Ravelli ACJ, Reijneveld SA (2001) Immigrants in the Netherlands: equal access for equal needs? J Epidemiol Community Health 55:701–707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuart M, Hansen EB (2006) Danish home care policy and the family: implications for the US. J Aging Soc Policy 18(3–4):27–41

    Google Scholar 

  • ten Have ML, Bijl RV (1999) Inequalities in mental health care and social services utilisation by immigrant women. Eur J Public Health 9(1):45–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. KORA, Danish Institute for Local and Regional Government Research, Købmagergade 22, 1150, Copenhagen K, Denmark

    Eigil Boll Hansen

Authors
  1. Eigil Boll Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eigil Boll Hansen.

Additional information

Communicated by H.-W. Wahl.

Appendix: Description of variables

Appendix: Description of variables

Variable

Explanation

Mean

SD

Min

Max

Dependent variables

 Received personal care or help with domestic chores 2007

=1 Received personal care or help with domestic chores

0.34

 

–

–

 Did not receive personal care or help with domestic chores 2007

=1 Did not receive personal care or help with domestic chores

0.66

 

–

–

 Received help with domestic chores 2007

=1 Received help with domestic chores

0.29

 

–

–

 Did not receive help with domestic chores 2007

=1 Did not receive help with domestic chores

0.71

 

–

–

 Received personal care 2007

=1 Received personal care

0.23

 

–

–

 Did not receive personal care 2007

=1 Did not receive personal care

0.77

 

–

–

 Received residential care 2007

=1 Received residential care

0.08

 

–

–

 Did not receive residential care 2007

=1 Did not receive residential care

0.92

 

–

–

 Received long-term care 2007

=1 Received long-term care

0.39

 

–

–

 Did not receive long-term care 2007

=1 Did not receive long-term care

0.61

 

–

–

Independent variables

 Predisposing factors

  Gender

=1 Man

0.38

 

–

–

  Gender

=1 Woman

0.62

 

–

–

  Age

=1 65–69 years

0.27

 

–

–

  Age

=1 70–74 years

0.21

 

–

–

  Age

=1 75–79 years

0.18

 

–

–

  Age

=1 80+ years

0.35

 

–

–

  Status of origin

=1 Ethnic Dane

0.95

 

–

–

  Status of origin

=1 Immigrant from a western country and has lived in Denmark less than 10 years

0.007

 

–

–

  Status of origin

=1 Immigrant from a western country and has lived in Denmark more than 10 years

0.013

 

–

–

  Status of origin

=1 Immigrant from a non-western country and has lived in Denmark less than 10 years

0.006

 

–

–

  Status of origin

=1 Immigrant from a non-western country and has lived in Denmark more than 10 years

0.028

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 Blue-collar worker

0.20

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 White-collar worker

0.14

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 Manager or superior servant

0.12

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 Self-employed

0.04

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 Unemployed

0.10

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 Outside the labour force

0.23

 

–

–

  Previous occupation

=1 Occupation unknown

0.18

 

–

–

  Education

=1 Primary school only

0.39

 

–

–

  Education

=1 Skilled worker

0.27

 

–

–

  Education

=1 Secondary school

0.02

 

–

–

  Education

=1 Short or medium-cycle higher education

0.09

 

–

–

  Education

=1 Long-cycle higher education

0.04

 

–

–

  Education

=1 Education unknown

0.20

 

–

–

 Enabling factors

  Marital status

=1 Widow/widower

0.34

 

–

–

  Marital status

=1 Divorced

0.21

 

–

–

  Marital status

=1 Married

0.35

 

–

–

  Marital status

=1 Unmarried

0.10

 

–

–

  Household

=1 Live alone

0.66

 

–

–

  Household

=1 Does not live alone

0.34

 

–

–

  Income

Average yearly household income in 2004 and 2005 (10,000 DKK)

17.402128

0.078717

−154.511400

1709.485800

 Need factors

  Health insurance services

Number of health insurance services 2000–2005

193.85

0.73

1

3,037

  Bed days

Number of bed days in hospital 2000–2005

1.9

0.02

0

581

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hansen, E.B. Older immigrants’ use of public home care and residential care. Eur J Ageing 11, 41–53 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-013-0289-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-013-0289-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation