The purpose of the study was to identify the determinants of satisfaction with health care for Canadian community-dwelling older adults. A correlational design was used to examine the relationships between socio-demographic indicators, psychosocial variables, health services utilization, and satisfaction with health care in the young-old and old-old. A subsample (N = 2,413) from the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey Supplement was analysed. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that socio-demographic variables were the best predictors of satisfaction with the national health care system in the young-old. Consultation with health care professionals was the best predictor of satisfaction with the Canadian health care system in the old-old and of health care personally received in both cohorts. Consultations with alternative practitioners was negatively related to satisfaction with health care in Canada and to care personally received in the old-old. The identification of the best determinants of satisfaction with health care can provide useful direction to policy makers, program planners, and practitioners so that more appropriate and effective services can be made available to this population.

Échantillonnage des ménages de l'Ontario de la section de la santé de l'Enquête nationale sur la santé de la population de 1994–1995 a été relié à la base de données du Ontario Home Care Administrative System et l'on a exploré la relation entre les réponses des personnes interrogées et l'utilisation des soins à domicile dans les années qui ont suivi l'enquête dans le but d'évaluer les variables prédictives des soins à domicile. La prévalence de l'utilisation des soins à domicile chez les sujets de l'enquète s'élevait à 4,3 pour cent. Les facteur indépendants associés à une augmentation probable des soins à domicile étaient un age de 75 et plus, une contrainte des activités quotidiennes (AVQ) et des activités instrumentales de la vie quotidienne (AIVQ), une détérioration de la santé et l'utilisation antérieure de soins à domicile. Il faudra approfondir les travaux pour mieux comprendre les facteurs associés à l'utilisation des soins à domicile si l'on souhaite mieux définir le but et les objectifs des soins à domicile et contribuer à l'élaboration de modèles de financement de ces soins.

This paper examines factors associated with falling among approximately 3,100 individuals aged 65 and older who were participants in the 1994 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). The intent of the NPHS is to monitor the health of Canadians and risk factors that affect their health. Several factors were identified as increasing the risk of falling, such as advanced age, being female, certain medical conditions, medication use and impaired mobility. The results from this survey, conducted on a national level, confirm the findings of many studies utilizing smaller samples within individual communities. Continuation of the NPHS will aid in offering longitudinal data with respect to falls, and allow for establishing a temporal order prior to the fall event, in order to provide more definitive evidence with respect to risk factors for falls.