Abstract
The purpose of this study was to obtain basic data to determine the best ways of providing information on home welfare services to the elderly. For this purpose, we divided the individual levels of awareness among the elderly (over 65 years old) concerning home welfare services into two groups of "amount of available information" and "desire for gathering information", and we investigated the correlation between these types of awareness and individual attributes. The subjects were selected from 2,200 elderly (over 65 years old) living at home in five districts of Hokkaido. Valid responses were obtained from 1,611 people (57.5% men and 42.5% women; mean age, 72.8 years). The items of the survey were : gender, age, educational background, family composition, income, history of treatment at medical institutions, and availability of and desire for gathering information concerning home welfare services for the elderly. The X2-test and residual analysis were used for the statistical analysis. The results of analysis showed that the individual attributes of gender, age, family composition, educational background, income, and history of treatment at medical institutions were related to the awareness by the elderly of home welfare services. This indicates that reliance on only mass media is not sufficient for providing the elderly with information concerning home welfare services. A more individually oriented system for conveying information, based on demograhic factors, is needed.
