The aim of the study was to investigate functional ability   and health complaints of people, 65+, living in special accommodation and   their counterparts who live at home and receive public care or a combination   of public and informal care. Persons   (n=1958) in receipt of municipal care were assessed in terms of functional   ability, health complaints, and level of informal and municipal care and   services. The results showed that more home care, services and help with IADL   were provided to those receiving only public care at home, while more home   care and services associated with PADL as well as nursing care were provided   to those in receipt of informal care. Cohabitation was a predictor of a   combination of public and informal care in the home (OR 5.935), while   assistance with IADL provided by public home care and services predicted   public care only (OR 0.344). Care in special accommodation was predicted by   advanced age (OR 1.051), dependency in IADL (OR 19.883) and PADL (OR 2.695),   and impaired cognitive ability (OR 3.849) with receipt of public care only as   a reference. Living alone (OR 0.106), dependency in IADL (OR 11.348) and PADL   (OR 2.506), impaired cognitive ability (OR 3.448), impaired vision or   blindness (OR 1.812) and the absence of slowly healing wounds (OR 0.407) were   predictors of special accommodation with a combination of informal and public   care at home as a reference. The distribution of municipal care divided older   people into   three distinct groups. The most frail and elderly people who had   no cohabitants received care in special accommodation, determined by their level of   physical and cognitive dependency. The frailest individuals living at home were cohabiting   and received a combination of public and informal care, while those who were   less dependent mainly had help with IADL from public care only.