Assessing health care utilisation among older people with cognitive impairment

Project Details

This project will explore primary care use among older people with cognitive impairment including those living with dementia.  We will explore patterns of primary care use, and the quality of care provided in the first three years following diagnosis and during the last 12 months of life; and further explore care among socially disadvantaged groups.

Patron ID: PAT1055

Project Lead: Dr Jo Tropea

Primary care is integral in the detection and management of older people with cognitive impairment including  those living with dementia. This includes management from diagnosis to the provision of palliative care that focuses on quality of life for people with dementia (PwD)/cognitive impairment and their families.  Australian data shows PwD have higher number of primary care attendances compared to people without dementia, and the use of primary care is increased in the final year of life (AIHW). However, the quality of care provided by primary care for PwD in the last year of life is not well understood. There is little Australian data on primary care use among those with other forms of cognitive impairment including those with mild cognitive impairment.

Aims:

To assess:

1. Primary care use and the quality of care provided in the last 12 months of life among older people with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment.
2. Primary care use and the quality of care provided in the first 3 years following diagnosis among older people with cognitive impairment and dementia.
3. Primary care use and patterns of use in the lead up to and following discharge from an emergency department episode and/or unplanned hospital admission among older people with cognitive impairment and dementia.
4. Differences in primary care use and patterns of care among people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups, including First Nations people.