The long term care of older Americans is one of the most pressing health care problems facing the nation. Although most long term care is provided by family members, even willing caregivers find themselves unable to continue care when their loved one needs daily assistance with basic activities for living. Faced with the need for constant supervision, many families-desperately seek alternatives to nursing home placement. Healthcare Suites (created and manufactured by Mobile Care, Inc.) offer an innovative new concept that could meet the needs of many families. This module apartment temporarily fits inside an existing garage and connects to the primary caregiver's home. The proposed study will: (a) assess the impact of using a Healthcare Suite on both the elder residing in the unit and family caregivers, and (b) obtain information from potential users, family members, and professionals to identify aspects of the physical unit and service components that could be adapted and improved. This information will be used to refine the health system service for Phase II of the project and to create a viable dissemination plan to be implemented and tested in Phase II of the project.
