Follow-up of recommendations for hostel care: some determinants of waiting times.

This study explores the impact of client characteristics on waiting times for hostel admission. A sample of 116 clients recommended for hostel care by Victorian aged care assessment teams (ACATs) between April and June 1991 were tracked until they entered a hostel, cancelled their applications, died, or until the end of the study in April 1992. Survival analysis was used to identify possible relationships between specific client characteristics and waiting times. High dependency clients consistently entered more quickly than low dependency clients (p < .05), while cognitive impairment did not appear to have an impact on waiting times for either group. Similarly, client living arrangement did not have a clear impact on waiting time. Possible explanations for the longer waiting times include client preference for a particular hostel and the incentives of the payment system.