Ee. Chapleski et al., GREAT-LAKES AMERICAN-INDIAN ELDERS AND SERVICE UTILIZATION - DOES RESIDENCE MATTER, Journal of applied gerontology, 16(3), 1997, pp. 333-354
Discussions about service usage by older individuals often center arou
nd the relative importance of need and knowledge variables. The impact
of these variables among minority elderly remains a matter of debate.
This article examines service usage among a sample of urban, rural, a
nd reservation-based eastern Great Lakes American Indian elders. Issue
s of availability, awareness, acceptability, accessibility, and need a
re examined through both a survey of 309 respondents and a small sampl
e of service providers. Regression results show predictors of use vary
by type of service. Reservation residence and need characteristics pr
edict in-home and preventive health service use. Being female, older h
aving knowledge of services, and problems with Instrumental Activities
of Daily Living (IADL) predicts in-home service use. Service provider
s' perceptions suggest issues of trust, past experiences, and cultural
acceptability need to be explored more intensely in efforts to explai
n service usage among American Indians and other ethnic and racial gro
ups.