Rural case management: a pilot study

The long term goal of this research is to improve the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of home and community-based services for rural long term care clients. Case management has been espoused as one method to improve services. Long term care case management models have been tested in urban areas with good results, but it is not known to what extent these models are applicable to the special circumstances of rural home and community-based care. The purposes of this pilot study are: 1. To describe case management in long term home health care as practiced in rural Kentucky. 2. To analyze case management for factors that promote or impede effective and efficient delivery of long term home health care for older rural Kentuckians. 3. To propose a model appropriate to case management in long term home health care for older rural Americans.