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Project Safety Net: a health screening outreach and assessment program
D B Reuben1, S H Hirsch, J C Chernoff
1Multicampus Program of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, UCLA School of Medicine.
The Gerontologist
|August 1, 1993
Summary
Project Safety Net offers comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for low-income, urban seniors. This program identifies frail elderly individuals needing support and referrals, though its effectiveness requires further study.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Community Medicine
Background:
- Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is vital for elderly care but underutilized in community outreach.
- Frail, low-income, urban-dwelling older adults face unique challenges and require targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce Project Safety Net, a community-based outreach program providing CGA to frail, low-income, urban seniors.
- To utilize validated screening tools and a custom computer program for interdisciplinary team support and research.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 814 older adults over an 8-month period.
- Identification of high-risk individuals, including widowed (51%) and those living alone (66%).
- Utilizing a custom-designed computer program for data management and team information sharing.
Main Results:
- Successfully screened a significant number of vulnerable older adults in an urban setting.
- Identified a high prevalence of widowhood and solitary living arrangements among the screened population.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a community-based CGA program.
Conclusions:
- Project Safety Net successfully identifies frail, low-income, urban seniors for CGA and referrals.
- The program's infrastructure supports interdisciplinary collaboration and research.
- Further randomized clinical trials are necessary to establish the program's definitive effectiveness.