A six-month profile of community case coordinated older adults.

The purpose of this study was to assess the needs of older case coordinated clients receiving community health services, by examining changes in cognitive status, physical and mental health status, social support, risk for institutionalization, and service use over a 6-month period from initial intake into home care. Significant predictors of professional and supportive home care, as well as emergency room use and hospital days, were also examined. Standardized interviews were conducted with 234 clients at the time of referral; follow-up interviews were conducted with 179 of these clients after 6 months of case coordination.

Development and results of a Case Coordination Activity Tracking tool.

This study describes the development of a tool used to track the who, what, when, and how much of case coordination for elderly, community-based clients. The Case Coordination Activity Tracking Form measures phase of coordination (assessment, plan development, plan implementation, monitoring reassessient, and discharge), type of activity (in-person, telephone, documentation, research, travel, case conference), with whom contact took place (client, family, client/family together, supervisor/colleague, service provider, physician, program access committee), and special circumstances (e.g.

Utility of The Regina Risk Indicator Tool among case managed elderly clients.

The Regina Risk Indicator Tool (RRIT) is used to identify how at risk clients are for requiring admission to long-term care. This study examined the potential use of this tool by case managers of older community dwelling clients receiving home care. The RRIT exhibited moderate to good inter-rater reliability and good predictive validity as clients of varying degrees of risk differed in amount of case management and services used.

Linklng guidelines for case management to risk of institutionalization.

In this study, we developed time-and-need-based community case management guidelines by tracking case management activity for 234 elderly clients over their first 6 months of care. Clients were interviewed at the time services began and again 6 months later to determine physical, emotional, and cognitive status. We found that the Regina Risk Indicator Tool (RRIT), a brief measure of risk for requiring institutional care, differentiated clients needing varying amounts of case management.

Development of a case management quality questionnaire.

This study documents the development of a new tool to measure the quality of community case management for elderly clients. Information obtained from literature review, client focus groups, and pilot surveys with clients served as the basis for the development of a Case Management Quality Questionnaire (CMQQ). This measure, along with satisfaction, health status, and demographic questions, was administered to 174 home care clients and 78 family members of long term care residents for evaluation of case management services that clients had received in the last 2 to 6 months.