Who are the consistently high users of health and social services? A follow-up study two and a half years later of people aged 85+ at baseline

This paper reports on changes in service use over a 2 1/2-year period among people aged 85+ at baseline. The socio-demographic, social, pyschological and physical characteristics of the consistently high utilizers and the consistently low utilizers of services are described. The strongest predictor of total service use was functional ability. The analyses confirmed that a small proportion of people are likely to account for the most expenditure on health and social services.