Factors Associated with the Changes in Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults with Stroke: A Comparison of Home Care and Institutional Care

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare the changes in activities of daily living (ADLs) in older adults with stroke in different modalities of long term care (LTC) services, which include home care and institutional care. METHODS: This is a comparative study using secondary data from the Korean national LTC insurance. Home care (HC) services users (n=3,494) and institutional care (IC) users (n=1,428) were extracted and compared in terms of ADLs and changes in ADLs to investigate the effects of HC and IC services in LTC. RESULTS: All of the ADLs and LTC services benefit levels for 2 years had improved in both HC and IC services. The ADLs of older adults with stroke who received HC improved, while those who received IC experienced deterioration. The LTC services benefit levels of the HC and IC groups were significantly different after 2 years. CONCLUSION: The study has found that HC services may lead ADLs better for older adults with stroke. We recommend LTC policy makers to further develop HC and IC service programs to deliver quality LTC services.