PREDICTORS OF CASE-MANAGEMENT FOR PERSONS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

This study examines case management service allocations to a clinical, nonrandom sample of persons with Alzheimer's disease (N = 822). Servi ce allocation rules are estimated using logistic regression. The laten t index of the likelihood of providing case management services is reg ressed on patients' enabling, need, and predisposing characteristics a nd organization affiliation. Significant predictors include patient un manageability, memory problems, gender, previous case management use, no other service use, family problems, and center affiliation. Less fu nctional patients may receive case management services when more funct ional patients may not, thus indicating a temporal dimension to case m anagement allocation because people later in their disease trajectory are more likely to be directed toward case management services. This s uggests that the efficacy of case management services may depend on th e timing of the help in relation to the client's disease severity.