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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
3089.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 11:10 AM

Abstract #107529

Models of respite care for homeless persons: An impact assessment

Suzanne Zerger, MA, National Health Care for Homeless Council, 42 Marchmount Road, Toronto, ON M6G 2A9, Canada, 416-656-0780, szerger@nhchc.org

As health services and procedures are increasingly provided on an outpatient basis and hospital stays are becoming shorter, a greater emphasis is placed on care and support available in individuals' homes; this puts people without homes at a dire disadvantage. Programs providing health care to homeless persons have responded to this need by developing “respite” services for those not sick enough to justify hospitalization but without safe alternatives for recuperation. In 2000, the Bureau of Primary Health Care provided funds to support ten Health Care for the Homeless programs to enhance their respite care services. This study presents findings from an evaluation of these programs aimed at better understanding the relative success of these differing service models in achieving positive patient outcomes. Client-level data provide a comprehensive picture of the health needs and resources of persons the respite programs serve, the level and scope of services required to care for them, and changes in the health and resource status of individuals as a result of being cared for in a respite program. Program-level data describe contextual and environmental characteristics which impact the relative “success” of a given program model. Data on individuals turned away from these programs during the evaluation period provide an understanding of the role and impact of these programs in the community. Besides documenting the effects of various respite service models on the health of homeless individuals, this evaluation provides a rich portrait of the homeless people served by these programs and the effects of homelessness.

Learning Objectives:

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Medical Conditions and Death Rates in Homeless Populations

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA