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Overview of the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS). Conference on Chinese Healthy Aging and Socioeconomic Development Durham, NC August, 2004 Nicholas Holt. Topic Guide. Survey Objectives Background Survey Design Survey Content Innovations Research Results. Objectives.
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Overview of the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS) Conference on Chinese Healthy Aging and Socioeconomic Development Durham, NC August, 2004 Nicholas Holt
Topic Guide • Survey Objectives • Background • Survey Design • Survey Content • Innovations • Research Results
Objectives • NLTCS – to characterize the health and functional status of the population 65 years and older • Informal Caregiver Survey – to examine how family and social relations help chronically disabled persons function in the community
Background • Established in 1982 as a cross-sectional survey • Sponsored by HCFA in 1982-1984 • Picked up by NIA and the Center for Demographic Studies in 1989 • Additional Funding from ASPE in all waves beginning in 1989
Background • Has both longitudinal and cross-sectional aspects • Waves are nominally 5 years apart • Particular emphasis on functionally impaired individuals
Background • Nationally representative measures of: • Longitudinal and cohort patterns of change in functional limitation • Mortality • Health care and other services, formal and informal, received by impaired • How care is paid for
Design of Survey • Entire sample gets a screener interview • Disabled get a detailed interview • Community • Institutional • Disability is defined by the screener interview
The Sample • A probability sample of persons aged 65 and older • Added in groups over time (healthy supplement)
The Sample (1) • 1982 • a probability sample from the MEDICARE files large enough to yield 6000 community disabled people (~35,000) • conceived as a cross-sectional survey • Census Bureau drew the sample and conducted the actual interviews
The Sample (2) • 1984 • Sample included all community and institutional disabled plus a probability sample of the non-disabled from 1982 sample • plus a probability sample from all who became 65 years old since 1982 • Census Bureau drew the probability sample and conducted the actual interviews
The Sample (3) • 1989 - on • Sample included all disabled who were disabled in the prior wave plus some or all of the non-disabled from prior wave • plus a probability sample from all who became 65 years old since previous wave • Census Bureau drew the probability sample and conducted the actual interviews
Survey Content • Questionnaire content came from several sources • Questions • Disability, medical conditions, physical functioning, cognitive functioning • Caregivers • Nutrition, perceived health status • Living arrangements, income, and education
Screener Interview • Primarily done by phone • Determines whether or not the subject gets a detailed interview • Determines whether subject gets a community interview or an institutional detailed interview
Detailed interview questions • Medical conditions • Disability (ADL & IADL) • Range of motion and impairment • Cognitive functioning
Detailed interview questions • Insurance • Income • Children and siblings • Medical providers and prescription drugs
Detailed interview questions • Helpers • Caregiver selection • Nutrition and social activities • Institutional
Demographic Variables • Demographic and economic characteristics age, race, sex, marital status • education, income and assets, housing and neighborhood characteristics
Innovations • Added a sample of caregivers starting in in 1989 • Starting in 1994 a sample of non-disabled screen-outs were interviewed • Starting in 1994 a supplementary sample of 95+ was added
Supplemental Surveys • Next-of-Kin Mortality Follow Up (1984 and 2000) • Biological Specimens • 638 bloods in 1999 • 1172 buccal washes in 1999 • 3000 bloods planned in 2004 • 1000 buccal washes planned in 2004
Medicare Data • Survey data supplemented with linked Medicare claims history from CMS for each survey participant • Medicare data linked to NLTCS survey data and furnished to CMS • Researchers must obtain Medicare data directly from CMS
Research Results • Chronic disability • Severe cognitive impairment • Medicare expenditures • Genetic studies
Possible Research Areas • Function limitations, physical and cognitive • Patterns of change • Medical conditions • Health care services used • Caregiver assistance • Demographic and economic characteristics • Out of pocket expenditures
Survey Data • Survey data can be obtained from CDS or, with some added value from Unicon, Inc. http://www.unicon.com/ • In either case the DUA will be signed with CDS http://nltcs.cds.duke.edu/index.htm