Approaches to Addressing Nonmedical Services and Care Coordination Needs for Older Adults

Abstract

Objective: Non-medical services care coordination for daily activities of living is crucial in improving older adults’ health and enabling them to age in place, but little is known about specific practices and barriers in this space. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 41 professionals serving older adults in greater Chicago, Illinois—which consists of diverse urban, suburban, and semi-rural communities—to contextualize non-medical services needs and care coordination processes. Results: In-home care, home-delivered meals, non-emergency transportation, and housing support were cited as the most commonly needed services, all requiring complex coordination support. Respondents noted a reliance on inefficient phone/fax usage for referral-making and cited major challenges in inter-professional communication, service funding/reimbursement, and HIPAA. Conclusions: Non-medical services delivery for older adults is severely impacted by general siloing throughout the care continuum. Interventions are needed to enhance communication pathways and improve the salience and interdisciplinarity of non-medical services coordination for this population.