Problems encountered in home health service delivery to persons with AIDS

This paper discusses the problems encountered in delivering home health services to persons with AIDS (PWAs), based on telephone interviews conducted with administrators of 68 home care agencies located in 10 high AIDS prevalence areas nationwide. Lack of adequate insurance mechanisms was cited as a major barrier to serving PWAs. Some respondents indicated a greater potential for stress among staff treating PWAs, given the youth of this population, the intensity of illness manifestations, and the complexity of treatment regimens. Other difficulties that are especially prevalent among PWAs include the absence of informal caregivers, residence in unsafe areas, and patient and family drug abuse. Although many of the reported patient problems are not unique to PWAs, the frequency with which they occur in this population suggests a need for expanded public and private insurance coverage for custodial care, and for expanded availability of AIDS-specific housing, if excessive hospitalization is to be avoided.