Delivery of Community Support Services for Older Adults in Social Housing

Abstract Community support services are an integral component of aging in place. In social housing, older adult tenants struggle to access these services due to the siloed nature of housing and health services. This study aims to describe the relationship between community support services and social housing for older adults and examine ways to optimize delivery. Data on government-funded community support services delivered to 74 seniors’ social housing buildings in Toronto, Ontario was analyzed. Neighbourhood profile data for each building was also collected, and correlational analyses were used to examine the link between neighbourhood characteristics and service delivery. Fifty-six community agencies provided 5,976 units of services across 17 service categories, most commonly mental health supports, case management and congregate dining. On average, each building was supported by nine agencies that provided 80 units of service across 10 service categories. Buildings in neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of low-income older adults had more agencies providing on-site services (r = .275, p < .05), while those in neighbourhoods with more immigrants (r = -.417, p < .01), non-English speakers (r = -.325, p < .01), and visible minorities (r = -.381, p < .01) received fewer services. Findings point to a lack of coordination between service providers, with multiple agencies offering duplicative services within the same building. Vulnerable seniors from equity-seeking groups, including those who do not speak English and recent immigrants, may be excluded from many services, and future service delivery for seniors should strive to address disparities in availability and access.

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An International Environmental Scan of Social Housing for Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3347 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 910-910

Author(s):

Sander Hitzig ◽

Christine Sheppard ◽

Ariana Holt ◽

Andrea Austen ◽

Miller Glenn

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Low Income ◽

Support Services ◽

Social Housing ◽

Service Providers ◽

Community Support ◽

The United States ◽

Housing Type ◽

Environmental Scan ◽

Age In Place

Abstract The City of Toronto is creating a standalone housing corporation to focus on the specific needs of low-income older adults living in social housing. A key focus of this new corporation will be to provide housing, health and community support services needed to optimize older adult tenants’ ability to maintain their tenancy and age in place with dignity and in comfort. To support this work, we conducted an environmental scan of service delivery models that connect low-income older adults living in social housing with health and support services. Desktop research was undertaken to identify relevant programs. For each model, key details were extracted including housing type, services offered, provider information, rent structure and funding sources. The scan identified 34 examples of social housing programs for older adults run by public, private and non-profit agencies across Canada, the United States and Europe that integrated health and supportive services. Successful models were those that understood the needs of tenants and developed collaborative partnerships with health and social service providers to create flexible place-based programs. A common challenge across jurisdictions was privacy legislation that made it difficult to share health and tenancy data with program partners. The presence of on-site staff that focused on building trust and community among tenants was considered key for identifying tenants requiring additional supports in order to age in place. These insights offer important considerations on how integrated supportive housing service models promote housing stability and support better health and wellbeing among older adults residing in social housing.

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Social determinants of older adults’ awareness of community support services in Hamilton, Ontario

Health & Social Care in the Community ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2524.2011.01013.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 661-672 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. Tindale ◽

M. Denton ◽

J. Ploeg ◽

J. Lillie ◽

B. Hutchison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Support Services ◽

Community Support ◽

Community Support Services

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Where Would You Turn for Help? Older Adults' Awareness of Community Support Services

Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement ◽

10.3138/cja.27.4.359 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 359-370 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

M. Denton ◽

J. Ploeg ◽

J. Tindale ◽

B. Hutchison ◽

K. Brazil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nous Avons ◽

Support Services ◽

Community Support ◽

Cette Situation ◽

Community Support Services ◽

Reference Et

RÉSUMÉLes résultats précédents visant la sensibilisation des aînés aux services de soutien communautaires ne s'accordent pas et sont gâchés par l'acquiescence ou des allégations de partialité. Cela étant, la présente étude a utilisé une série de 12 scénarios pour décrire des situations courantes dans lesquelles se retrouvent les aînés pour qui des services de soutien communautaires seraient appropriés. Lors d'une entrevue téléphonique, nous avons lu à 1152 adultes âgés de 50 et plus une série de scénarios et nous leur avons demandé s'ils pouvaient indiquer un organisme communautaire vers lequel ils pourraient se tourner dans cette situation précise. Nous leur avons aussi interrogés sur leurs plus importantes sources de renseignements en matière de services de soutien communautaires. Les résultats indiquent que, si l'on a recours à une méthodologie par scénarios, la sensibilisation aux services de soutien communautaires était beaucoup plus faible qu'on ne l'avait d'abord pensé. Les plus importantes sources de renseignements sur les services de soutien communautaires comprenaient des sources de référence et des renseignements, l'annuaire téléphonique, les bureaux de médecins, et le bouche-à-oreille.

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Would Older Adults Turn to Community Support Services for Help to Maintain Their Independence?

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464809345495 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 554-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Margaret Denton ◽

Jenny Ploeg ◽

Joseph Tindale ◽

Brian Hutchison ◽

Kevin Brazil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Support Services ◽

Community Support ◽

Community Support Services

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Use of Community Support Services and Activity Limitations Among Older Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/gls235 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 741-747 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

B. Gopinath ◽

D. C. Harris ◽

G. Burlutsky ◽

P. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Support Services ◽

Community Support ◽

Activity Limitations ◽

Community Support Services

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A Scoping Review of Social Housing Models for Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3346 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 910-910

Author(s):

Christine Sheppard ◽

Matthew Yau ◽

Carol Kwon ◽

Jorge Rios ◽

Andrea Austen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Affordable Housing ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Low Income ◽

Support Services ◽

Social Housing ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Housing Service ◽

Service Models

Abstract Access to affordable housing is a rising concern for many older adults, and government-sponsored social housing programs are one approach to support low-income older adult renters; however, these housing models are limited in availability and may not all be well-suited to support aging in place. To better understand how to promote the physical, mental and social wellbeing of older tenants in social housing, this scoping review mapped relevant literature to examine: 1) the characteristics of older adults in social housing; and 2) social housing service models and policies. Seven peer reviewed databases were searched for relevant articles, which were screened by two independent reviewers. A total of 140 articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies were predominately from the US and Canada; spanning over five decades of research, with publications surging in the 1980’s and in the 2010’s. Almost all studies reported on the sociodemographic and health characteristics of older tenants, and two thirds presented findings on social housing service models, including policies, staff positions and training, and access to on-site support services. This review points to a high level of vulnerability among older adult tenants living in social housing and highlights the importance of co-locating support services in social housing buildings, with dedicated tenant-support staff to identify vulnerable tenants and link them to these services. There is an acute need for more research on key issues related to housing retention, such as eviction prevention, in order to identify opportunities for social housing landlords to help older tenants age in place.

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What's going on with comprehensive community support services

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e522132010-003 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Steve Johnson

Keyword(s):

Support Services ◽

Community Support ◽

Community Support Services

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Paramedics assessing patients with complex comorbidities in community settings: results from the CARPE study

CJEM ◽

10.1007/s43678-021-00153-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew S. Leyenaar ◽

Brent McLeod ◽

Aaron Jones ◽

Audrey-Anne Brousseau ◽

Eric Mercier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Care ◽

Support Services ◽

Home Visit ◽

Community Care ◽

Community Support ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Living Alone ◽

Care Providers ◽

Community Paramedicine ◽

Community Support Services

Abstract Objectives The aim for this study was to provide information about how community paramedicine home visit programs best “navigate” their role delivering preventative care to frequent 9-1-1 users by describing demographic and clinical characteristics of their patients and comparing them to existing community care populations. Methods Our study used secondary data from standardized assessment instruments used in the delivery of home care, community support services, and community paramedicine home visit programs in Ontario. Identical assessment items from each instrument enabled comparisons of demographic, clinical, and social characteristics of community-dwelling older adults using descriptive statistics and z-tests. Results Data were analyzed for 29,938 home care clients, 13,782 community support services clients, and 136 community paramedicine patients. Differences were observed in proportions of individuals living alone between community paramedicine patients versus home care clients and community support clients (47.8%, 33.8%, and 59.9% respectively). We found higher proportions of community paramedicine patients with multiple chronic disease (87%, compared to 63% and 42%) and mental health-related conditions (43.4%, compared to 26.2% and 18.8% for depression, as an example). Conclusion When using existing community care populations as a reference group, it appears that patients seen in community paramedicine home visit programs are a distinct sub-group of the community-dwelling older adult population with more complex comorbidities, possibly exacerbated by mental illness and social isolation from living alone. Community paramedicine programs may serve as a sentinel support opportunity for patients whose health conditions are not being addressed through timely access to other existing care providers. Protocol registration ISRCTN 58273216.

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They Do Their Best, but Their Best Isn’t Good Enough: How Social Housing Can Support Older Tenants Aging in Place

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.075 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 23-23

Author(s):

Christine Sheppard ◽

Andrea Austen ◽

Sander Hitzig

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Housing ◽

Service Providers ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Service Model ◽

Building Trust ◽

Age In Place ◽

Access To Health ◽

The City

Abstract Toronto Community Housing (TCH) is the second largest social housing landlord in North America, and is home to over 27,000 older adults, half of whom live in 83 “seniors-designated” buildings. There is inadequate and inconsistent delivery of services in these buildings, negatively impacting tenants’ ability to age in place. We conducted two half-day consultations with service providers (n=74) and tenants (n=100) to identify strategies to improve unit condition, promote stable tenancies (i.e., prevent evictions) and enhance access to health and support services for older adults living in TCH. Through facilitated discussion, participants identified their top two recommendations for each priority area and reflected on the strategies that were hardest and easiest to implement, as well as the ones that would have the most and least impact on quality of life for older tenants. Participants recognized the need for more education as a way to empower older tenants and reduce stigma associated with unit condition issues (e.g., pest problems) and arrears. More frequent touch points with tenants was also recommended as a way to identify older adults at-risk of eviction and work proactively (instead of reactively) to support them. Service providers and tenants believed that system navigators working directly in the buildings would be a key facilitator to building trust and helping older tenants access needed services. Outcomes of the have several program and policy implications for TCH, as they partner with the City of Toronto to design a new integrated service model for the seniors-designated buildings.

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