CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDIA USAGE TO INFORMATION ON HOME BASED WELFARE SERVICES IN THE AGED

Abstract

The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of media usage to information concerning home based welfare services in the aged. The subjects were randomly selected by staff of the Department of Welfare in K town from among people aged over 65 years old who were residing in k town at the time of the survey in December 1994. The items surveyed were sex, age, educational background, family composition, income, family care, self-rated health, medical care received, extended ADL, TMIG Index, and sources of information on home based welfare services. Answers to the survey were obtained from 295 people and the results of analysis showed that the extent of information media concerning home based welfare services in the aged differed according to the type of media. Quantitative analysis also showed that differences in the usage of information media could be group according to local, mass and personal media. This study also showed that the following factors affected the degree of each type of media usage : self-rated health and famity care in the case of local media, educational background and level of intellectual activity in the case of mass media, and medical care received, total income, educational background and instumental ADL in the case of personal media. The results of this syudy indicated the importance of considering the characteristics of the aged subjects for the selection of an appropriate medium to convey information concerning home based welfare services in the aged.