title: Assessing the impacts of community-based health care policies and programs for older adults.
abstract: This article presents a framework for evaluating long-term care policies and programs to determine how well community-based programs benefit the older adult population. Equity, accessibility, quality, and efficiency are identified as core criteria for implementing and evaluating long-term care policy. Special problems with conducting process and/or outcome evaluation of community-based programs are noted, and findings of evaluation research on community-based health care programs are reviewed. Most previous research indicates that community-based health programs for older adults are not a substitute for institutional care and do not reduce either informal caregiving or ambulatory medical services. The article concludes with policy implications.
authors: Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University.
authors: T T
authors: TT
authors: Wan
authors: K F
authors: KF
authors: Ferraro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000592:standards; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000592:standards*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States