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The British Journal of Psychiatry (2002) 180: 369-373
© 2002 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Accessibility of health and social services to immigrant elders: the Islington Study

G. LIVINGSTON, FRCPsych

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Royal Free and University Medical School, London

G. LEAVEY, MSc

St Ann's Hospital, London

G. KITCHEN, RMN, M. MANELA, MBChir, S. SEMBHI, MRCPsych and C. KATONA, FRCPsych

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London

Correspondence: G. Livingston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Wolfson Building, 48 Riding House Street, London WIN 8AA, UK. Tel: 020 7530 2309; fax: 020 7530 2304; e-mail: g.livingston{at}ucl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest Part-funded by the Ethnic Health Unit, Department of Health.

Background Numbers of immigrant elders are increasing and it is unclear whether they can access services.

Aims To examine service utilisation of older immigrants compared with their UK-born counterparts and relate it to health difficulties.

Method Cross-sectional study in inner London measuring service use, mental health and disability.

Results A total of 1085 people aged >= 65 years were interviewed. Independent predictors of contact with a general practitioner included being born in Cyprus. Cypriots were the only immigrant population to report significantly more somatic symptoms than those born in the UK (P=0.005). Africans and Caribbeans used day care and other social services most frequently.

Conclusions Immigrants could access services. Africans and Caribbeans appear to have poorer physical health and thus have greater contact with services. Cypriots who experience depression may present with prominent somatic symptoms. This is likely to be due to a different idiom of distress.


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