Service utilization by well-organized frail elderly individuals

In spite of extensive legislation intended to provide social services for elderly individuals, there is a lingering question about how much elderly persons actually use these services. This article reports findings from a study involving an innovative program called STAES (System to Assure Elderly Services), located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri and in particular finds that frail elderly individuals in the STAES program are using services in greater numbers than the review of the literature seems to suggest. In-home services such as homemaker services and visiting nurses' services are indeed used by elderly individuals who are in greater need than others. Through discussing the objective and operation of this program, the article explains why elderly individuals participating in the STAES program are effective users of publicly provided social services.