Spanish dependency act: Characterizing dependency levels and need for services

The current context of long-term care in Spain is marked by the recent approval of the Dependency Act (in force from January 1, 2007). This article is aimed at defining the three levels of dependency ascertained in the Dependency Act and the care scenarios to allocate services to the profiles identified. The sample comprises 636 elderly persons admitted to long-term care facilities in six different Spanish Autonomous Communities. Old persons' autonomy is established from nine variables of the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS RAI 1.0) whereas the intensity of care required is measured through the nursing care time (RUG-III). K-means cluster analysis is performed to characterize the three groups of dependency. In a second stage, care scenarios are assessed through the qualitative analysis of 60 randomly selected socio-personal and clinical records (20 per group). Results show that there are significant differences in care complexity as dependency increases and that the formal caring resources assigned would not be sufficient to meet growing needs for assistance. © 2008, Hallym Aging Research Institute, Hallym University.