Patterns of outpatient prescription drug use among Pennsylvania elderly.

The Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) provides outpatient prescription drug coverage for nearly one-half million State residents 65 years of age or over with income under $15,000 per year. A description of the PACE program is provided herein, along with data and multivariate results relating to the demographic characteristics of PACE beneficiaries, duration of enrollments, drug utilization and expenditure rates, average prices for covered prescriptions, and drug expense distributions.

Caregiver activity on respite and nonrespite days: a comparison of two service approaches.

Use of time was examined among female caregivers of dementia patients who used home care (n = 20) and day care (n = 20) respite services. Assessment of caregiver activity during respite and nonrespite days revealed significant program differences in the amount of caregiving time and overall differences in the amount of noncaregiving time. Use of respite time was also examined.