"One Size Doesn't Fit All": Understanding the Healthcare Seeking Behavior of Older Adults with Moderate to Severe Cognitive Limitations in the Context of Developing Countries

"The increase in aging-related diseases across the globe means that more people will suffer from cognitive impairments, necessitating the provision of "tailor-made" equitable healthcare services to such individuals with cognitive limitations. Regrettably, most existing healthcare services are designed primarily for the general population without recourse to older adults with moderate- and severe cognitive limitations. Furthermore, studies on the key predictive factors of healthcare utilization among these key populations are scarce.

This lacuna creates a scenario where cognitively impaired individuals are forced to make do with the prevailing untargeted healthcare services whenever they fall ill. As "one size doesn't fit all," there is an urgent need for research to explore the predictive factors of healthcare utilization among older adults with moderate to severe cognitive limitations so as to provide insights to stakeholders for the immediate introduction of equitable healthcare services interventions to cognitively impaired older adults.

To this end, I will present a general outlook on the aging situation in selected developing countries. I will further examine the predictive factors of healthcare utilization among older adults with moderate-to-severe cognitive limitations using Ghana as a case study via a nationally representative population-based sample. Lastly, I will discuss my study's clinical significance and policy implications, with the aim of canvassing for an interdisciplinary approach towards policy change to cautiously incorporate these factors into the decision to improve equitable access to healthcare services for these individuals, notably in the context of developing countries."- Dr. Ebenezer Larnyo

Join us as we welcome Dr. Ebenezer Larnyo, a UCSB Center for Black Studies Research Postdoctoral Scholar, for an in person presentation! Dr. Larnyo holds a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Jiangsu University and an MSc in Computer Science and Technology from Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, both in Zhenjiang, China. Before joining the CBSR, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Health Policy and Management at Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China. His research broadly focuses on leveraging healthcare technologies and applied data science and analytics to improve quality of life, access to personalized healthcare, and reduce the burden of chronic diseases among the aged, people with cognitive impairment, and other socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in minority communities and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Appetizers and refreshments will be served!

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