THE EMERGING ROLE OF THE CLIENT IN THE DELIVERY OF PRIMARY-CARE TO OLDER AMERICANS

Objective. To address the likely influences, on options faced by older clients, of specific changes in the delivery system and several possi ble responses to these changes and the changed options, by older perso ns in the aggregate. Study Design. Four specific topics are discussed at length: (1) the probable altered role for the older healthcare clie nt brought on by organizational changes; (2) findings from research on elderly health maintenance behavior and reasons for the increased imp ortance of this issue; (3) the effectiveness of the conventional appro ach to explaining health services utilization in population studies; a nd (4) recommendations for future research into the direct or indirect influence of organizational changes in the primary healthcare system on the health-related decisions and behaviors of older persons.