Self-Help Devices

The goal of this observational study is to examine the associations between assistive device approval and acquisition modality (rental or purchase), long-term care service utilization, and family caregiver burden among individuals receiving long-term care services in Taiwan. The study will use de-identified nationwide long-term care administrative data from 2021 to 2022. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. What individual, disability-related, socioeconomic, residential, and caregiving factors are associated with assistive device approval, the number and type of approved devices, and rental or purchase modality? 2. Are assistive device approval and utilization patterns associated with the use of formal long-term care services and with family caregiver burden?