The textbook approach to insurance markets emphasizes the role of private information about risk in determining who purchases insurance. In the classic adverse selection model of Michael Rothschild and Joseph Stiglitz (1976), individuals with higher expected claims buy more insurance than those with lower expected claims, who may be out of the market entirely. This basic prediction of asymmetri...

It is challenging to change physicians' antimicrobial prescribing behaviour. Although antimicrobial prescribing is determined by contextual (e.g. a lack of guidelines), cultural (e.g. peer practice) and behavioural (e.g. perceived decision making autonomy) factors, most antimicrobial stewardship programmes fail to consider these factors in their approach. This may lead to suboptimal interventio...

The aim of this paper is to describe the process of building a multi-level intervention called the Enriched Opportunities Programme, the objective of which is to provide a sustainable activity-based model for people with dementia living in long-term care. It is hypothesised that five key elements need to work together to bring about a sustainable activity-based model of care. These elements are...

BACKGROUND Social networks are theorized as significant influences in the innovation adoption and behavior change processes. Our understanding of how social networks operate within healthcare settings is limited. As a result, our ability to design optimal interventions that employ social networks as a method of fostering planned behavior change is also limited. Through this proposed project, we...

Does long-term care insurance help purchasers preserve their assets and avoid Medicaid? The purpose of this issue brief is to explore the complex interaction of Medicaid and private long-term care insurance and highlight the policy implications for those who may "fall through the cracks" in their coverage.

BACKGROUND The age-related deterioration of physiological capacities such as muscle strength and balance is associated with increased dependence. Understanding the contribution of physical fitness components to functional performance facilitates the development of adequate exercise interventions aiming at preservation of function and independence of older people. The aim of the study was to inv...

One of the critical issues that Japan, well known for the world's highest proportion of older adults, a super-aged society, is currently confronting is how to prevent physical disability in old age. This issue is particularly important not only from a medical perspective such as functional prognoses but also from a socio-economic angle in view of reducing the rapid rise in the cost of medical a...

INTRODUCTION In 2000, Japan implemented a mandatory long-term care insurance system. With the rapid growth of the system, problems became apparent. Several critical alterations were made to long-term care insurance system, particularly with respect to integrated care. METHODS This paper elucidates the policy trends that led to the reforms of the long-term care insurance system, which included...

BACKGROUND Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is claimed to have a variety of benefits, but almost all published results are anecdotal. We characterized the resident population in long-term care facilities desiring AAT and determined whether AAT can objectively improve loneliness. METHODS Of 62 residents, 45 met inclusion criteria for the study. These 45 residents were administered the Demographic...