Marital status and hospital use in older adults

Abstract

The proportion of single person households is increasing with population ageing. At older ages living in a single person household is more likely to be due to bereavement or separation than at younger ages. We examine the association between marital status and the likelihood and the length of hospitalisations, with particular emphasis on whether and how this association varies by different types of hospitalisations with a distinct nature of care. Using a large survey linked to multiple years of detailed administrative records enables us to better control for individual heterogeneity and allows us to conduct a finer classification of hospitalisations. A two-part model is used for estimation. We also investigate the relationship between marital status and the presentations to emergency department. The results show singles have an increased probability of hospitalisation and length of stay, with a substantial heterogeneity revealed in the association between marital status and different types of hospitalisations. The findings are consistent with the lesser availability of informal care for those being single and point to the need to develop appropriate and targeted strategies to reduce hospitalisation in this group.