Social support and health care utilization in an aged population : a comparison of private residence and assisted living dwellers in East Tennessee

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the level of social support in an aged population with deficits in activities of daily living. The social support for the aged residing in assisted living was contrasted with the social support of the aged who remained in a private dwelling and received home health services to assist with activities of daily living. The secondary purpose, was to correlate the level of social support to health care utilization and through the use of Andersen's Behavioral Model, social support was investigated as a predictor of health care utilization. Eighty individuals from each setting were individually interviewed with a demographic sheet and the Lubben Social Network Scale. Answers were obtained orally and the same interviewer was used with all participants for objectivity and consistency. The level of social support among the home health participants was found to be significantly higher than the level of social support among the assisted living participants (p< .05). Home health participants were at a moderate risk for social isolation, where as the assisted living participants were at a high risk for social isolation. There was no correlation between health care utilization and social support among the aged residing in the home (p> .05). There was a weak correlation between health care utilization and social support among the aged residing in assisted living facilities (r = .213, p< .05). While the regression model for health care utilization was significant, with age (being younger), gender (being male), transportation problems (none), lower rating of health, and a higher total number of medical diagnoses explaining 39% of the variability of health care utilization in the sample, the interaction and main effects of interest to this study were not significant. Social support did not impact the model, nor did the interaction of social support and setting. The aged are at an increased risk for social isolation as a result of age related losses. Due to the importance of the relationship between social support and health noted in the literature, further study is suggested to determine interventions that have a positive impact on social support in various living settings.