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159 Geographic Accessibility and Capacity of Day Care Services for People with Dementia
Tom Pierse, John E. Cullinan, Fiona Keogh, Eamon O’Shea. Age and Ageing, 2019-09-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Background Day care is an important service for some people with dementia and their carers. In Ireland, day care services for people with dementia are delivered by a mix of dementia specific day-care centres and generic centres that cater for people with dementia to various degrees. In this paper we map the geographic variation in the supply of day care services for people with dementia relative to potential need. Methods Using a national HSE survey of day care centres, we estimate the current supply of day care services for people with dementia in both generic and dementia specific centres by combining a number of qualitative and quantitative measures. To identify the variation in supply, we map day care provision at local and regional levels to the number of people with dementia in the area. To consider geographic accessibility, we map and analyse the population living outside the catchment area of the day care centres. Results There is significant variation across the country in the existing capacity of day care centres to cater for people with dementia. The number of places per 100 persons with dementia varies from 9 to 16 across the Community Health Organisation areas. We show that 20 per cent of people with dementia are not living within a 15km radius of a day care centre that caters for people with dementia. Conclusion Day care has a place in the menu of service for people with dementia living in the community. As the number of people with dementia grows, investment in day care centres needs to be targeted to areas of greatest need. In many parts of the country, the current day care centres have limited capacity to provide a service for people with dementia that live in their catchment area. There is considerable geographical inequity in day care provision for people with dementia across the country.
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APA 7th
Pierse, T., Cullinan, J. E., Keogh, F., & O’Shea, E. (2019). 159 Geographic Accessibility and Capacity of Day Care Services for People with Dementia. Age and Ageing. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afz103.93
Vancouver
Pierse T, Cullinan JE, Keogh F, O’Shea E. 159 Geographic Accessibility and Capacity of Day Care Services for People with Dementia. Age and Ageing. 2019. doi:10.1093/ageing/afz103.93.
BibTeX
@article{pierse2019-958bb60f,
author = {Pierse, Tom and Cullinan, John E. and Keogh, Fiona and O’Shea, Eamon},
title = {{159 Geographic Accessibility and Capacity of Day Care Services for People with Dementia}},
journal = {Age and Ageing},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1093/ageing/afz103.93},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afz103.93}
}
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Key findings
- Results There is significant variation across the country in the existing capacity of day care centres to cater for people with dementia.
Why it matters
This mapping study found significant variation across Ireland in the capacity of day care centres to cater for people with dementia, with the number of places per 100 persons with dementia varying from 9 to 16, and 20% of people with dementia not living within a 15km radius of a suitable day care centre. The study is about geographic accessibility and capacity of day care services, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants100
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 34/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Age and Ageing) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Age and Ageing: journal h-index 231 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 100 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.1 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Eamon O’Shea: h-index 34 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway: institution h-index 516 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 34 / 100 | — |
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