The Health and Mental Health of Informal Caregivers in Rural and Urban Northern Ireland
Dr Stefanie Doebler (QUB) This presentation discusses new research findings from a project that analyses effects of providing unpaid care to a family member or neighbour on the self-reported health and mental health of the care-giver. The results are based on robust statistical analyses of Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)-data. The NILS is a Census-linked health-records study, representative of the Northern Irish population. In addition, analyses include NILS-linked BSO-prescription data for mental health drugs, allowing for comparisons of the risk of suffering from ill-mental health across different social strata. Furthermore, the findings account for area-level effects (e.g. remoteness and access
Area of residence and admissions to care homes for older people: data linkage study of factors associated with entry to care
Dr Mark McCann and Dr Dermot O’Reilly (QUB) Research on admissions to care homes for older people has paid more attention to individual and social characteristics than to geographical factors. This presentation considers rural-urban differences in household composition and admission rates and presents key findings arising from this research. Data on 51,619 people aged 65 years or older at the time of the 2001 Census and not living in a care home, were drawn from a data linkage study based on 28% of the Northern Ireland population. Living alone was less common in rural areas; 25% of older people in