Household characteristics of persons with complex care needs in the community: A preliminary study

Aim To identify the characteristics of households of persons with complex care needs and clarify the care period length required to resolve their primary health issues. Design A descriptive cross-sectional study design. Methods We collected registered data and nursing records from 155 households living in City A within the Tokyo Metropolis. They were designated as complex care cases by the home care and life support centre and needed a multidisciplinary approach to care from April 2018-July 2019. Results Most households comprised an elderly with a single adult child (N = 47, 30.3%). Mental illness and economic distress overlapped as the most common issues. The mean length of care period was 147.7 days (SD = 120.6). The log-rank test showed that single persons took significantly less time to resolve their primary health issues than elders with single-child households or single-person <65-year-old households.