Researchers: Maayan Agmon¹, Efrat Gil^2,3, Rachel Kizony¹, Faisal Azaiza¹

Background: In recent years, geriatric services have been established in northern Israel. However, there has been low utilization of these services among Arabs compared to the Jewish population with similar socioeconomic status.

Objectives: To examine the factors that facilitate or hinder the use of geriatric services among the older adults in Jewish and Arab communities.

Method: Methods: A mixed-methods study that included 201 Jewish and 200 Arab participants: Half of them residing in Haifa and the other half in northern towns such as Acre, Sachnin, and Nazareth. Two focus groups with healthcare professionals were conducted. Data collection took place in the participants' homes and included interviews and questionnaires regarding attitudes toward healthcare services and barriers to accessing geriatric services. Additionally, data on mobility and cognition were collected. Data analysis included qualitative content analysis to define barriers to using geriatric services and quantitative analysis, including tests for differences between groups (e.g., analysis of variance) and correlations (e.g., Pearson's correlation).

Findings: Only a minority of the sample (n=51) received geriatric healthcare services. Jewish participants from Haifa showed a significantly higher utilization of these services. Qualitative findings indicated a lack of knowledge and awareness about the existence of these services, with participants typically seeking them only in emergency situations, such as health deterioration or support for right enforcement.

Conclusions: There is low utilization of geriatric healthcare services across all groups, especially among those with lower socioeconomic status.

Recommendations: It is recommended to define geriatric healthcare services broadly, increase awareness of their existence among both family physicians and the general population, and aim to make these services accessible to all older adults’ populations.

Research end date: 10/2023