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CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Thesis
Utilizing community connections: Assessing a social determinants of health screening tool for community-dwelling older adults
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
05/2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006963
Abstract
Community-based aging resources, like Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), are often overlooked, so establishing partnerships with healthcare providers is needed to promote resilience through awareness and use of available services and supports. We aimed to evaluate a community partnership between a primary care clinic and an AAA; both community partners were committed to improving health by reducing adverse health outcomes. This exploratory intervention study focused on assessing social determinants of health (SDH) needs of Medicare patients (n = 385) in primary care during an annual visit (Mage=72.5; 89.6% White) in an effort to connect them to appropriate supportive aging services. There were 284 participants who identified unmet SDH needs, but only 36 participants accepted referral to AAA resources. Analyzing Medicare’s Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) score at the start of the survey and participants’ health service utilization (i.e., primary care visits; urgent care visits; ER visits/hospital readmissions/institutionalizations) over a 6-month period, we examined how age, SDH needs, and referral acceptance to AAA resources were associated with RAF score and health outcomes. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses revealed positive associations between RAF score with age (p<0.001) and number of SDH needs (p<0.001); ER visits/hospital readmissions/institutionalizations with SDH needs (p=0.004) and RAF score (p<0.001); and primary care visits with SDH needs (p=0.003) and RAF score (p<0.001). The screening revealed how SDH needs are often unmet and underrecognized among older adults. However, addressing SDH needs is possible through cross-sector partnerships committed to improving community-dwelling older adults’ independence and wellbeing. Policy provisions that foster resource partnerships between community organizations and care providers are needed to incentivize the integration between the medical and social models of health care to reduce risk and meet needs of community-dwelling older adults.
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Details
- Title
- Utilizing community connections
- Creators
- Kelly S. O'Sullivan
- Contributors
- Raven H Weaver (Chair)Cory Bolkan (Committee Member)Chad M Gotch (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Human Development
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 99
- Identifiers
- 99901125038901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis