ABSTRACT
The underlying issue facing our society with a growing elderly population is to be able to provide a continuum of care which would allow suitable and smooth movement along a spectrum of health and housing services. Many frail elderly are faced with an “all or nothing” approach to their housing needs; that is, being placed in a nursing home when they can no longer live independently. Alternatives to nursing homes include adult day care, senior healtn centers, meal programs and assisted living centers. In the U.S. many of these alternatives are only recently evolving. In the meantime a case managed approach which objectively evaluates and updates a frail resident’s functional level and helps determine when it is time to move and assures communication among the parties, is sorely needed.
