*000      ap
*00142158
*100  $aIbsen, Tanja Louise
*245  $aA longitudinal cohort study on the use of health and care services by older adults living at home with/without dementia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: the HUNT study$cTanja Louise Ibsen, Bjørn Heine Strand, Sverre Bergh, Gill Livingston, Hilde Lurås, Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Richard Oude Voshaar, Anne Marie Mork Rokstad, Pernille Thingstad, Debby Gerritsen & Geir Selbæk
*260  $c2024
*300  $ahttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10846-y
*440  $aBMC Health Services Research 
*505  $aBackground: Older adults and people with dementia were anticipated to be particularly unable to use health and care services during the lockdown period following the COVID-19 pandemic. To better prepare for future pandemics, we aimed to investigate whether the use of health and care services changed during the pandemic and whether those at older ages and/or dementia experienced a higher degree of change than that observed by their counterparts. Methods: Data from the Norwegian Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4 70 + , 2017–2019) were linked to two national health registries that have individual-level data on the use of primary and specialist health and care services. A multilevel mixed-effects linear regression model was used to calculate changes in the use of services from 18 months before the lockdown, (12 March 2020) to 18 months after the lockdown. Results: The study sample included 10,607 participants, 54% were women and 11% had dementia. The mean age was 76 years (SD: 5.7, range: 68–102 years). A decrease in primary health and care service use, except for contact with general practitioners (GPs), was observed during the lockdown period for people with dementia (p < 0.001) and those aged ≥ 80 years without dementia (p = 0.006), compared to the 6-month period before the lockdown. The use of specialist health services decreased during the lockdown period for all groups (p ≤ 0.011), except for those aged < 80 years with dementia. Service use reached levels comparable to pre-pandemic data within one year after the lockdown. Conclusion: Older adults experienced an immediate reduction in the use of health and care services, other than GP contacts, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within primary care services, people with dementia demonstrated a more pronounced reduction than that observed in people without dementia; otherwise, the variations related to age and dementia status were small. Both groups returned to services levels similar to those during the pre-pandemic period within one year after the lockdown. The increase in GP contacts may indicate a need to reallocate resources to primary health services during future pandemics.
*650  $aCovid-19
*650  $aHelse- og sosialsektoren
*650  $aHjemmeboende
*700  $aStrand, Bjørn Heine
*700  $aBergh, Sverre
*700  $aLivingston, Gill
*700  $aLurås, Hilde
*700  $aMamelund, Svenn-Erik
*700  $aVoshaar, Richard Oude
*700  $aRokstad, Anne Marie Mork
*700  $aThingstad, Pernille
*700  $aGerritsen, Debby
*700  $aSelbæk, Geir
*856  $uhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10846-y
^