@inbook{a272abbb1ac14590aa4cfa77b3d0444d,
title = "Aging and Access: Healthcare Use in Later Life",
abstract = "As the global population continues to age rapidly, understanding healthcare service use among older adults is critical. Healthcare access is an important theme in this area of study, guided by the social determinants of health and concerns over health equity. This chapter provides an overview of healthcare use patterns along with barriers and facilitators for three specific types of healthcare: mental, oral, and in-home. We also introduce some of the key concepts and models employed by scholars to help study these issues. We end the chapter with a discussion of a few selected emerging research areas that need to be addressed. The World Health Organization's (WHO) Age-Friendly HealthCare/Age-Friendly Health Systemsinitiative represents a promising approach for aligning the needs of older adults with the structures established to support them. In sum, healthcare service utilization among older adults is on the rise and we need systems in place that ensure equity in access.",
keywords = "barriers, disparities, facilitators, healthcare, older adults",
author = "Burr, \{Jeffrey A.\} and Pheiffer, \{Chantel F.\} and Shu Xu",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.",
year = "2026",
doi = "10.1515/9783111349510-004",
language = "English",
series = "De Gruyter Contemporary Social Sciences Handbooks",
publisher = "Walter de Gruyter GmbH",
pages = "37--47",
editor = "Terrence Hill and Tarani Chandola and Ginny Garcia-Alexander",
booktitle = "De Gruyter Contemporary Social Sciences Handbooks",
address = "Germany",
}