Lower costs, new technology, and expanded Medicare benefits are some of the reasons for the rapid increase in employment in home health services. Employment in the drugs manufacturing industry has increased despite recessions and structural changes in the economy. (Author/JOW)

This study aimed to examine the implementation, adequacy, and outcomes of discharge planning. The authors carried out a prospective study of 1,426 adult patients discharged from 11 acute care hospitals in Israel. Social workers provided detailed discharge plans on each patient. Telephone interviews were conducted two weeks post-discharge. Findings…

These lessons were designed to help the trainer agent give aides the background in food and nutrition they will need for their work with low-income families. The 15 basic lessons provide aides with the necessary information to begin the job of helping families improve their diets. During the initial training period, training agents need time to…

Indigenous homemakers were employed in this Arkansas program as health education aides. They provided participant families with information on: (1) healthy daily living habits; (2) preventive health practices; (3) self-care/professional care needs; (4) home environment influences in health; and (5) local health services. (MJB)

An interorganizational program designed for elderly excluded from existing home care programs was investigated to determine participant characteristics and status of cases after one year. The program demonstrates the need to eliminate restrictive eligibility criteria as well as the value of interagency staff consolidation to increase service…

The authors explain how role playing helps home health aides learn to cope with common problems that arise in their work with the homebound elderly and their families. (CT)

Describes a block nursing program established in St. Paul, Minnesota that focused on nursing care delivered by neighbor to neighbor, enabling older people to remain independent as long as possible through health education, disease prevention, and maintenance. (JOW)

Screening interviews and clinical assessments were conducted of Manitobans over age 85: 74 had no cognitive impairments, 94 had impairments with no dementia, and 58 had dementia. Half of those with dementia and one-quarter of those with impairments received home care. Type, cost, and amount of community health services used varied with each…

A Teaching Home Care Program, featuring collaboration between schools of nursing and home care agencies, could improve the quality of home care and increase the amount of data available on home care for the elderly and infirm. (Author/JOW)

Examined trends of publicly owned, for-profit providers of custodial home care. Found that restrictive public payments and lack of private insurance coverage have contributed to financial woes of providers. Suggests that changes are urgently needed which address the financing of home care. (Author/NB)

Describes a workshop on human development for home companions of older adults that includes sessions on identity, intimacy, generativity, integrity, trust, and communication. (SK)

Context: Availability of Medicare-certified home health care (HHC) to rural elders can prevent more expensive institutional care. To date, utilization of HHC by rural elders has not been studied in detail. Purpose: To examine urban-rural differences in Medicare HHC utilization. Methods: The 2002 100% Medicare HHC claims and denominator files were…

Purpose: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has adopted two functional assessment systems that guide care planning: one for nursing home residents (the Resident Assessment Instrument [RAI]) and a compatible one for home care clients (RAI-HC). The purpose of this article is to describe the RAI-HC (often referred to as the Minimum Data Set-Home…

This self-contained instructional module is designed to help adult caregivers learn how to measure arterial blood pressure in the home. The module includes the following parts: objectives; pretest (with answers); four sections of instructional material covering (1) equipment, (2) cuff placement and locating the brachial artery, (3) measuring blood…

The second of three manuals on attendant care for disabled persons is intended for parents of severely handicapped youth. An initial message reviews typcial reactions of parents to their child's quest for independence while subsequent sections address the basic principles of independent living and parents' responsibility for structuring learning…