Home- and Community-Based Service Use by Older African American, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic White Women and Men

This study examined associations between use of home- and community-based services and race, ethnicity, and gender. Using the 1994 Second Longitudinal Study of Aging (n = 9,447) and descriptive, standard logistic, and multinomial logistic analyses, both the likelihood of service use and intensity of use were examined for nine home- and community-based services. In descriptive analyses, African Americans used the largest number of services, followed by Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. In multivariate results, all compared with non-Hispanic white women, African American women had higher odds of using Personal Care Aides, Transportation, Adult Day Centers, and Information and Referral. Hispanic women had higher odds of using Adult Day Centers and Transportation services. Non-Hispanic white men were less likely to use Personal Care Aides, Senior Centers, and Transportation. In the intensity analysis, compared with non-Hispanic white women, African American women used services more intensively. Non-Hispanic white men used services less intensively. Results highlight the need for flexibility in services provision, and a continued emphasis on supporting a range of services.