ACCESS TO PAID IN-HOME ASSISTANCE AMONG DISABLED ELDERLY PEOPLE - DO LATINOS DIFFER FROM NON-LATINO WHITES

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to compare the national prev alences and predictors of paid in-home functional assistance among dis abled Latino and non-Latino elderly people who receive such assistance . Methods. Data were derived from the 1988 wave of the National center for Health Statistics Longitudinal Study on Aging and the 1988 Common wealth Fund Commission Survey of Elderly hHispanics. Logistic regressi on was used to model paid care use and to calculate estimated probabil ities of such use. Results. Among Latino and non-latino Whites 74 year s of age and older who received functional assistance, similar proport ions used paid assistance. Predictors of paid care coincided with esta blished models for non-Latino Whites only. Disabled Latinos had a lowe r estimated probability of using paid assistance when they were highly disabled and socially isolated but had a higher estimated probability when their children lived nearby. Conclusions. The effects of disabil ity and social support differ among non-Latino White and Latino elderl y people. Latino elderly people with high anticipated needs obtain les s paid assistance than similar non-Latino Whites. In addition to a red uction in financial barriers, improving access to long-term care servi ces requires addressing this diversity in service use patterns.