Factors associated with self-reported use and non-use of assistive devices among impaired elderly residing in the community.

We report an analysis of data from the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) pertaining to the use of assistive devices. The focus is on elderly people reporting an impairment who did not use assistive devices. The degree of impairment, type of impairment, and socio-demographic variables were analyzed for their association with non-use of assistive devices. The non-use of assistive devices was often found to be consistently and strongly correlated for women who report social isolation, less education and who reside in rural areas, suggesting that these groups could be the target for policy initiatives.