Pre-pandemic and pandemic healthcare utilization among older people with intellectual disabilities compared to the general population (IDcare)
Axmon, Anna LU
; Kristensson, Jimmie
LU
and Sandberg, Magnus
LU
(2025)
In Journal of Public Health (Germany)
- Abstract
Aim: To describe healthcare utilization patterns among older people with intellectual disabilities in comparison to that of their age peers in the general population, including possible changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods: This was a Swedish longitudinal, register-based cohort study comprising 766 people aged 65+ years with intellectual disabilities (ID cohort) and 257 285 same-aged people from the general population (gPop cohort) assessing planned and unplanned use of different types of healthcare: public primary care, privately organized care, psychiatric specialist care (inpatient and outpatient), and somatic specialist care (inpatient and outpatient). For each type of healthcare, we compared the number of... (More)
Aim: To describe healthcare utilization patterns among older people with intellectual disabilities in comparison to that of their age peers in the general population, including possible changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods: This was a Swedish longitudinal, register-based cohort study comprising 766 people aged 65+ years with intellectual disabilities (ID cohort) and 257 285 same-aged people from the general population (gPop cohort) assessing planned and unplanned use of different types of healthcare: public primary care, privately organized care, psychiatric specialist care (inpatient and outpatient), and somatic specialist care (inpatient and outpatient). For each type of healthcare, we compared the number of contacts during a pre-pandemic (2014-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) period in the ID cohort to the gPop cohort, as well as assessed potential differences in risk between the two periods. Results: Older people with intellectual disabilities had increased risks for all types of unplanned care and psychiatric specialist care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some risks, particularly unplanned, were even more pronounced. This was mainly due to a larger decrease in healthcare use in the gPop cohort than in the ID cohort. Conclusion: The increased risk of unplanned care among older people with intellectual disabilities may reflect unmet healthcare needs in this group. However, the higher risk of care, particularly psychiatric care, during the pandemic suggests older people with intellectual disabilities were prioritized rather than neglected during this period.
(Less)
- author
- Axmon, Anna
LU
; Kristensson, Jimmie
LU
and Sandberg, Magnus
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Ageing, Hospitalization, Intellectual disabilities, Primary care, Private care, Specialist care
- in
- Journal of Public Health (Germany)
- publisher
- Springer Nature
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105007228969
- ISSN
- 2198-1833
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10389-025-02506-0
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.
- id
- a36647ce-69ed-4ddd-b28b-44fa52712a2c
- date added to LUP
- 2025-08-15 14:34:37
- date last changed
- 2025-09-01 10:15:08
@article{a36647ce-69ed-4ddd-b28b-44fa52712a2c,
abstract = {{<p>Aim: To describe healthcare utilization patterns among older people with intellectual disabilities in comparison to that of their age peers in the general population, including possible changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods: This was a Swedish longitudinal, register-based cohort study comprising 766 people aged 65+ years with intellectual disabilities (ID cohort) and 257 285 same-aged people from the general population (gPop cohort) assessing planned and unplanned use of different types of healthcare: public primary care, privately organized care, psychiatric specialist care (inpatient and outpatient), and somatic specialist care (inpatient and outpatient). For each type of healthcare, we compared the number of contacts during a pre-pandemic (2014-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) period in the ID cohort to the gPop cohort, as well as assessed potential differences in risk between the two periods. Results: Older people with intellectual disabilities had increased risks for all types of unplanned care and psychiatric specialist care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some risks, particularly unplanned, were even more pronounced. This was mainly due to a larger decrease in healthcare use in the gPop cohort than in the ID cohort. Conclusion: The increased risk of unplanned care among older people with intellectual disabilities may reflect unmet healthcare needs in this group. However, the higher risk of care, particularly psychiatric care, during the pandemic suggests older people with intellectual disabilities were prioritized rather than neglected during this period.</p>}},
author = {{Axmon, Anna and Kristensson, Jimmie and Sandberg, Magnus}},
issn = {{2198-1833}},
keywords = {{Ageing; Hospitalization; Intellectual disabilities; Primary care; Private care; Specialist care}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Springer Nature}},
series = {{Journal of Public Health (Germany)}},
title = {{Pre-pandemic and pandemic healthcare utilization among older people with intellectual disabilities compared to the general population (IDcare)}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10389-025-02506-0}},
doi = {{10.1007/s10389-025-02506-0}},
year = {{2025}},
}