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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Denys T. Lau, PhD¹, Karen G. Scandrett, MD², Mary L. Jarzebowski, BS¹, Kami Chin, MS¹, Tawana Bandy, BA¹, and Linda E. Emanuel, MD, PhD¹. (1) Buehler Center on Aging, Northwestern University, 750 North Lake Shore Drive, Suite 601, Chicago, IL 60611, 3125031231, denystlau@yahoo.com, (2) Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 676 N. St. Clair Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60611

Background: More elders are favoring to stay in their homes and communities as they “age in place”. In a previous pilot study among older adults, we found four major causes of adverse events leading to an emergency room visit: lack of care coordination, financial barriers to medical care, lack of knowledge regarding medical services, and unsafe home environments. We will review the literature on current nationwide home and community-based programs to assess their adequacy in keeping elders living at home. Methods: Online sources included Medline and websites sponsored by the U.S. Health and Human Services, Government Accounting Office, Administration on Aging, National Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Providers, National Association of State Units on Aging, and American Association of Retired People. Results: Considered the most comprehensive public program, PACE coordinates healthcare, nutritional, social and transportation services to low-income, frail elders. However, PACE is operated within local communities of only 18 states and is found to have short-term improvement on quality of life and functional status of enrollees. Medicaid waiver programs are available, but they are not operated uniformly across states and provide varying degrees of services to elders. Private programs are often not coordinated in a holistic manner and can be prohibitively expensive for many elders. Discussion: Although programs assist community-dwelling elders, these services are fragmented in scope, operation, and/or geography. As more elders age in place, comprehensive home and community-based programs will be important for promoting health and safety among elders.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify needs of community-dwelling elders to live safely and healthily in their homes and communities.
• Describe nationally available home and community based organizations (publicly and privately sponsored) that serve elders.
• Assess the adequacy of these organizations in keeping elders living safely at home.

Keywords: Safety, Community Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered