Research Catalog

Title

The aging population in the twenty-first century : statistics for health policy / Dorothy M. Gilford, editor ; Panel on Statistics for an Aging Population, Committee on National Sciences and Education, National Research Council.

Author

National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Statistics for an Aging Population.

Publication

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1988.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Gilford, Dorothy M.

Description

xv, 323 pages : illustrations; 23 cm

Summary

Concern about the inadequacies of statistical information and methodology available for policy decisions for the elderly is widespread. 7 federal agencies that shared this concern--the Veterans Administration and 6 agencies of the US Department of Health and Human Services--joined forces and sponsored a 1984 study by the National Research Council to address these problems. The panel was charged with 3 major responsibilities. 1) It was to determine the data requirements for policy development for health care of the elderly during the next decade; to assess the statistical adequacy of current data sources pertaining to the health care of the elderly; and to identify major shortcomings and recommend appropriate remedies and actions. 2) The panel identified the essential components of a comprehensive program of statistics on the elderly that can be implemented within a decentralized statistical system and that would provide adequate data on aging for all functional areas and recommended changes and procedures that would facilitate integrating data from the various components. 3) The panel determined whether changes or refinements are needed in the statistical methodology used in health policy analysis or in the planning and administration of programs for the elderly and recommended actions or further research. The panel's 3 charges are addressed in separate chapters of the report. 5 general recommendations represent the collection and integration of a number of specific recommendations contained in the book's chapters: 1) Develop and maintain a core group of national longitudinal health surveys to study health transitions and health service needs among the elderly; 2) introduce design changes in other major survey programs to improve their usefulness for studying the health of the elderly, health care expenditures, and quality of care; 3) standardize definitions and instrumentation across data collection and data dissemination activities; 4) improve mechanisms for the broad dissemination of all types of data collected with federal support; and 5) provide an adequate level of support for statistical and forecasting research. These recommendations respond to the most pressing needs for information to meet the overall goals of medical care for the elderly: to enable the elderly to stay healthy and functionally independent as long as possible, to provide access to good medical care of whatever type is appropriate, and to provide care in the least restrictive and most cost-effective and appropriate environment.

Subject

• Prognose 1990-2050
• Older people > Diseases > Statistics. > United States
• Older people > Medical care > Statistics. > United States
• Older people > Diseases > Forecasting. > United States
• Health planning > United States
• Older people
• Medical policy
• Aged
• Health Policy
• Health Services for the Aged
• elderly
• Older people
• Medical policy
• Health planning
• Older people > Diseases
• Older people > Medical care
• Gesundheitsfürsorge
• Alter
• United States
• USA

Genre/Form

• Statistics
• Statistics.
• Statistiques.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographies.

Contents

1. Introduction and Summary of Recommendations, p. 1-51 -- 2. Social, Economic, and Demographic Changes Among the Elderly, p. 52-64 -- 3. Health Status and Quality of Life, p. 65-93 -- 4. Health Transitions and the Compression of Morbidity, p. 94-107 -- 5. Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, p. 108-125 -- 6. Quality of Care, p. 126-134 -- 7. Long-term Care, p. 135-149 -- 8. The Financing of Health Care Services for the Elderly, p. 150-177 -- 9. Health Services Utilization, p. 178-201 -- 10. Enhancing the Utility of Statistical Systems, p. 202-235 -- 11. Statistical Methodology for Health Policy Analysis, 236-258 -- A. Background Papers, p. 279-280 -- B. Effects of Budgetary Constraints on Federal Statistical Programs, p. 281-286 -- C. Descriptions of Data Bases Mentioned in the Panel's Recommendations, p. 287-312 -- D. Long-term Health Care Minimum Data Set, p. 313-315 -- E. Acronyms, p. 316-318 -- F. Biographical Sketches, p. 319-323.

ISBN

• 0309038812
• 9780309038812

LCCN

88015151

OCLC

• ocm17980987
• 17980987
• SCSB-1193495

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library