Explaining Pathways of Care Taken by Elderly People: An Analysis of Responses to Illness Symptoms

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Abstract
This paper documents the pathways elderly people follow in managing illness symptoms. Illness behavior is conceptualized as a series of actions or decisions that occur over time in varying permutations or combinations. Data were collected through personal interviews completed by a sample of older people managing their health in community settings in upstate New York. Respondents also completed three weeks of health diaries. Multiple logistic regression analyses of five patterns or pathways of care over the reporting period were guided by an adaptation of the health-behavior model, supplemented with indicators of symptom experience and the availability of lay consultants. Marital status and gender, barriers to formal care, availability of lay consultants and several indicators of symptom experience differentiated self care from the other four pathways. Painful or disruptive symptoms increased the probability of lay consultation or lagged professional consultation, and uncertainty about potential seriousness increased the probability of professional consultation and lagged lay consultation.

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