Affiliations: [a]
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA | [b]
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Hampton, VA | [c] Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University, Durham, NC
Note: [1] This article is based on a presentation at the 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Minneapolis, MN, November 1989.
Note: [2] The research reported in this article was conducted with grant funding from the Health Services Research and Development Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC.
Note: [*] The authors acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals: Celia Hybels and Karen Dassel (Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC), for data analysis and collection, and W. Grant Dahlstrohm, Duke University, Durham, NC, for methodological consultation.
Abstract: A national study of community-based spinal cord-injured male veterans was conducted by telephone interviews using a modified version of the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) Questionnaire (developed at Duke University). The final sample included 719 veterans showing varying degrees of impairment in five levels of functioning: social resources (29.5%), economic resources (40.9%), mental health (19.1%), physical health (62.5%), and activities of daily living (54.5%). Compared to representative community samples of elderly men, aging spinal cord-injured veterans are at greater risk of impairment in four of five dimensions of functioning and are more likely to have impairments in multiple dimensions. More than 90% used supportive devices and prostheses, transportation, and medical services. Two-thirds used homemaker-household services, and approximately one-half used personal care, checking, and meal preparation services. A larger proportion of spinal cord-injured male veterans used services than did older men in two other samples, reflecting greater impairments in functioning as well as the existence of multiple chronic conditions five or more years after injury.
