Purpose: This article provides a detailed description of a telephone-based care coordination intervention, Partners in Dementia Care (PDC), for veterans with dementia and their family caregivers. Essential features of PDC included (a) formal partnerships between Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and Alzheimer's Association Chapters; (b) a…

Surveyed state and local health planning agencies and Older Americans Act agencies. Found that coordination between aging and health planning agencies is directly associated with the level of attention given to long-term care priorities by the latter agencies. Findings suggest that coordination strategies may be important for policy change.…

Describes the development of a statewide strategy to improve resident outcomes in nursing facilities, and presents some evaluative data from this strategy. Results reveal that the partnership has resulted in state agency staff having information from analyses about resident needs. Suggests that other states should consider building partnerships…

Compared first- and second-generation interorganizational service system serving the elderly. Found that integration of Medicaid programs with Administration on Aging-funded system was changing structure of community-based elderly services. Second-generation system served larger volume of clients, being more centralized, differentiated,…

Analyzed five-year experience of neighborhood-based, volunteer geriatric health outreach program developed by consortium of health and social agencies. Found outreach program enhanced network of natural community helpers through organized program in which Street Health Workers provided support to older adults and families. (Author)

Purpose: The first Elder Abuse Forensic Center (EAFC) in the United States was instituted in 2003. People from a variety of disciplines, including Adult Protective Services social workers, law enforcement, the district attorney's office, a medical response team, public guardian deputies, ombudsmen, mental health services, a victim advocate, and a…

Describes Building Ties Project, a program that provides comprehensive assistance to local interagency planning committees addressing mental health service needs of older adults, including training program development materials and consultation. Notes that in two years, project activities in 23 counties increased services, improved interagency…

Describes a unique funding and working relationship between an agency on aging and community mental health center, which focuses on community-based care, utilizing a multidisciplinary in-home case-management approach to serve elderly persons at risk. Nontraditional referral sources known as "gatekeepers" are organized to identify such…

Describes the application of resource exchange networks which facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and the matching of existing resources to needs of elderly people. Describes a community-based geriatric education and linkage-building effort. Reports longitudinal data from a 1984 study (N=247) and a 1985 study (N=335) which demonstrate its…

Examines links between senior citizen centers (N=755) and other community agencies. Found that the elderly were often referred to other organizations, but that collocation of services were rare. Cites lack of transportation, time, communication, and an understanding of the needs of the elderly were the most common barriers to senior center…

Examined coordination between community mental health centers (CMHCs) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) through survey of 281 CMHCs. Found affiliation with AAA associated with more indirect services of all types; more sites where mental health programs were offered to elderly; and more provision of direct services, such as Alzheimer's disease…

Field-tested public/private collaborative model geropsychiatric nursing home. Found planning and implementation to be difficult due to interdepartmental strain within public sector and changes in ownership and administrative policy within private sector. Considers ways to reduce barriers. (Author/NB)

Describes the Mental Health Consultation Team at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center nursing home. The team is an interdisciplinary group of mental health professionals and primary care providers. Cooperation among these professionals has decreased the demands for formal psychiatry and psychology consultations while increasing mental…

Purpose: The Dementia Care Networks' Study examined the effectiveness of four community-based, not-for-profit dementia networks. The study involved assessing the relationship between the types of administrative and service-delivery exchanges that occurred among the networked agencies and the network members' perception of the effectiveness of…