SERVICE UTILIZATION BY WIFE CAREGIVERS OF FRAIL OLDER VETERANS

This study investigated patterns and predictors of service utilization among wife caregivers of frail older veterans. The study focused on t he following sets of variables: predisposing, enabling, care-receiver need, and caregiver need. Respondents were 80 wife caregivers of frail older (age 55+) veterans at a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in a Midwestern state. Wife caregivers used a mix of VAM C and non-VAMC services. Care-receiver functional status was a signifi cant predictor of both frequency of service use and number of services ever used. Caregivers' perception of service availability and attitud e toward service use were the strongest predictors of number of servic es ever used.