Video Report: Aging in Place Preserves
Seniors’ Independence, Reduces Care Costs,
MU Researchers Find Model provides
alternative for traditional nursing homes,
assisted living
March 7,
2011 – America’s 75 million aging adults
soon will face decisions about where and how
to live as they age. Current options for
long-term care, including nursing homes and
assisted-living facilities, are costly and
require seniors to move from place to place.
University of Missouri researchers have
found that a new strategy for long-term care
called Aging in Place is less expensive and
provides better health outcomes.
“Adults want to remain healthy and independent during their senior
years, but traditional long-term care often
diminishes seniors’ independence and quality
of life,” said Marilyn
Rantz, professor in the Sinclair School of
Nursing.
“Aging in Place enables most older adults to remain in the same
environment and receive supportive health
services as needed. With this type of care,
most people wouldn’t need to relocate to
nursing homes.
The conventional sequence of long-term care forces older adults to
move from their homes to senior housing, to
assisted living and eventually to nursing
homes as their health and functional
abilities decline, said Rantz.
The Aging
in Place (AIP) model provides
services and care to meet residents’
increasing needs to avoid relocation to
higher levels of care. AIP includes
continuous care management, a combination of
personalized health services with nursing
care coordination.
In a four-year analysis of AIP, the total care costs for residents
were thousands less than traditional care
options. Costs for living and health care
never approached the costs for nursing homes
and assisted-living services.
In addition, AIP residents had improved mental and physical health
outcomes.
“The goal is to restore people to their best possible health so
they can remain independent,” Rantz said.
“Once they are healthy, the additional care
services are removed in order to minimize
costs. AIP can be implemented by health care
facilities and made available to seniors
throughout the country.”
AIP is used at TigerPlace,
an independent living community that
helps senior residents stay healthy and
active to avoid hospitalization and
relocation. Residents receive care services
as they are needed and where they want them
– in the privacy of their apartments.
MU researchers use sensors, computers and communication systems to
discreetly monitor residents’ health. Motion
sensor networks detect changes in behavior
and physical activity, including walking and
sleeping patterns. Identification of changes
can prompt interventions that can delay or
prevent serious health events.
The study, “Evaluation of aging in place model with home care
services and registered nurse care
coordination in senior housing,” was
published in the recent issue of Nursing
Outlook.
The research was funded in part by the Centers for Medicaid and
Medicare Services, U.S. Administration on
Aging. The technology and aging research
projects are funded by the National Sciences
Foundation, National Institute of Nursing
Research, Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, the Alzheimer’s Association and
others.
TigerPlace is a joint project of the Sinclair School of Nursing and
Americare, a long-term care company.
For more information about AIP, visit: http://agingmo.com/.
