The posthospital experience of elderly Medicare home health users.
This study describes the home health experience of 295 Medicare elderly persons following hospitalization. While a subset of persons improved medically and functionally during the home health service period, some declined on one or both dimensions and many showed not change. The most heavily utilized, non-Medicare, services were personal care and homemaker/chore, reflecting the functional needs of some posthospital elderly. One-fifth of Medicare home health users were reinstitutionalized or died during the service period. Those discharged to home had a range of continuing service needs, both medical and functional, after home health discharge.
School of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.
A E
AE
Benjamin
P J
PJ
Fox
J H
JH
Swan
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000359:Aftercare / Q000592:standards*; D000368:Aged; D002140:California; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards*; D003625:Data Collection; D006304:Health Status; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States