Posthospital care for older people: a collaborative solution

This collaborative model of "short-term, long-term care" (Brody, 1987) for older persons returning home after a hospital stay involved three hospitals, a senior center, and an Area Agency on Aging. The program provided short-term (up to 6 weeks) case management and nonmedical, supportive services to elderly individuals, in their own homes, immediately following discharge from acute-care hospitals. Client satisfaction was high, costs were moderate, and only one-third of the clients required formal services after 6 weeks. The program was discontinued due to lack of funding.