Strategic partnerships enhance resources for care of rural-dwelling older adults

摘要

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to disseminate a new model that addresses the urgent social challenge of providing adequate long-term care in rural circumstances through innovative use of existing resources, and to suggest future research. Design/methodology/approach-This paper is exploratory in and is based upon the analysis of qualitative observations (interviews and site visits) framed in the financial and operational records of the facility studied, macro- and micro-level demographics, and the scholarly and practice literatures. Findings-Significant cost savings upon implementation, improvements in quality of care and both worker and client satisfaction were observed. Research limitations/implications-The model has been in operation only one year; the trend has been positive, however, more research is needed to identify its stability and develop a more refined description of its components: while essential features of this innovative model can be applied in any residential long-term care situation, replicating its success is obviously linked with the skill and authority of the director. Evaluation research is currently in progress.