Helping networks in community home care for the elderly: types of team

Changes in the delivery of health care have led to a shift in the location of care from the institution to the community. This has resulted in a need to re-examine current models of health-care practice in terms of their applicability and relevance to the community setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the relevance of traditional models of multidisciplinary teams by examining interrelationships amongst community-dwelling seniors with arthritis, their families, and health and community service providers (HCSPs). In-depth interviews or focus groups were conducted with clients, family members, and HCSPs. Participants described 4 different types of interaction within the helping network, with no interaction whatsoever being the most common except for with the seniors themselves. Three types of team emerged: client-centred, case manager-centred, and discipline-specific. No evidence of formal collaborative interdisciplinary teams was found, with HCSPs most valuing the discipline-specific model.