Unmet Needs of Veterans and Caregivers
Author Information
Author(s): Garcia-Davis Sandra, Munoz Richard, Bouldin Erin, Hansen Jared, Kinosian Bruce, Intrator Orna, Dang Stuti
Primary Institution: University of Miami
Hypothesis
Veterans with a higher predicted risk of long-term institutional care have greater unmet needs.
Conclusion
Veterans and caregivers reported complex unmet needs that increased with the predicted risk of long-term institutional care.
Supporting Evidence
- Veterans reported unmet needs in activities of daily living (ADLs; 15.7%) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL: 26.0%).
- The most common unmet IADL needs were medication management (55.4%), housework (55.4%), and preparing meals (53.7%).
- Compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Blacks were more likely to have unmet ADL and IADL needs.
- Caregivers averaged 7.3 hours of daily care and helped with various needs.
Takeaway
Veterans and their caregivers have many needs that aren't being met, especially if they are at risk of needing long-term care.
Methodology
Surveys were mailed to a random sample of 20,000 Veterans, with responses collected from 8,056 Veterans and 3,579 caregivers.
Limitations
The study may not fully represent all Veterans due to the sampling method and response rate.
Participant Demographics
Veteran respondents were mostly men (96.5%), over 65 years (94.9%), married (55.0%), Non-Hispanic White (75.2%), and residing in urban areas (80.7%).
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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