Aging at home: integrating community-based care for older persons

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Social Policy

Background:

• Growing international focus on integrating community-based health and social care to meet the needs of aging populations.
• Challenges in implementing integrated care initiatives due to diverse institutional and structural dynamics across jurisdictions.
• The need for transferable lessons to guide local policymakers and innovators in developing effective care systems for older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine "aging at home" as a policy option in Ontario and beyond.
• To identify costs and consequences of fragmented care systems for older persons.
• To propose guiding principles and recommendations for integrating care for older persons.

Main Methods:

• Review of national and international research literature on non-systems of care for older persons.
• Analysis of own research findings from Ontario.
• Scoping review of international literature on integrated care solutions.

Main Results:

• Identification of the costs and negative consequences associated with non-integrated care systems for the elderly.
• Emergence of three guiding principles for effective integration of care for older persons.
• Development of actionable recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.

Conclusions:

• Fragmented care systems for older adults incur significant costs and negative outcomes.
• Successful integration of health and social care requires adherence to specific guiding principles.
• Evidence-based strategies are crucial for developing sustainable "aging at home" policies.