The proposed study of lay care represents an extension of a nine year research program focusing on strategies used by nonmetropolitan elderly in coping with declining health and functional capacity. The project will explore the process of illness behavior, which involves interpretation of symptoms, lay consultation, and intervention strategy, including, self care and professional treatment. Special attention will be focused on the conditions under which symptoms are ignored or normalized outside of a medical model. The study will also examine the impact of structural characteristics of lay referral networks on access to information and other coping resources. Data for the analysis will be collected through health diaries and interviews with a probability sample of people 65 years of age and older living in a predominantly nonmetropolitan region of northeastern New York. Illness behavior is a recursive process, and the time-series data produced by health diaries will permit inferences of causality which are not possible in studies relying exclusively on cross-sectional data. Collecting information from a probability sample of elderly living in small towns or rural communities represents an extension of previous studies, most of which are based on patient populations, convenience samples, or urban respondents. Studying lay care among the elderly offers a number of benefits. The majority of symptoms are treated outside the formal medical care delivery system, and a large proportion of those who receive medical care have treated themselves before seeking professional advice. This may be especially true of symptoms experienced by older people with multiple chronic conditions, which may be ignored either because they are confused with symptoms of an earlier condition or because they are viewed as inevitable consequences of aging.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AG007794-02
Application #
3119106
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 3 (HUD)
Project Start
1989-05-01
Project End
1992-04-30
Budget Start
1990-05-01
Budget End
1991-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Plattsburgh State University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
152606901
City
Plattsburgh
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
12901
Stoller, E P; Kart, C S (1995) Symptom reporting during physician consultation. Results of a health diary study. J Aging Health 7:200-32
Pollow, R L; Stoller, E P; Forster, L E et al. (1994) Drug combinations and potential for risk of adverse drug reaction among community-dwelling elderly. Nurs Res 43:44-9
Stoller, E P; Forster, L E (1994) The impact of symptom interpretation on physician utilization. J Aging Health 6:507-34
Stoller, E P; Pollow, R (1994) Factors affecting the frequency of health enhancing behaviors by the elderly. Public Health Rep 109:377-89
Stoller, E P; Pollow, R; Forster, L E (1994) Older people's recommendations for treating symptoms: repertoires of lay knowledge about disease. Med Care 32:847-62
Forster, L E; Pollow, R; Stoller, E P (1993) Alcohol use and potential risk for alcohol-related adverse drug reactions among community-based elderly. J Community Health 18:225-39
Stoller, E P; Forster, L E; Pollow, R et al. (1993) Lay evaluation of symptoms by older people: an assessment of potential risk. Health Educ Q 20:505-22
Stoller, E P; Forster, L E; Portugal, S (1993) Self-care responses to symptoms by older people. A health diary study of illness behavior. Med Care 31:24-42
Stoller, E P; Forster, L E (1992) Patterns of illness behavior among rural elderly: preliminary results of a health diary study. J Rural Health 8:13-26