icon Blueprint for August

The Return of House Calls

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3 min read

The memories of our childhoods are quaint and fond. Vinyl records, vanilla Carvel and Vin Scully. The Little Rascals and the Young Rascals. Milk delivered to our home in the morning, the newspaper on the lawn in the afternoon, and the doctor examining us in our own bedroom. Dr. Brown was her name. (Yes, she was a she…and yes, this was in the early ‘50s.)

Generally, we never expect delights lost in the mist of time to reappear anywhere but on the screens of our minds. So little did we expect that a 21st century law designed to improve medical care, spread health insurance and lower its costs would also restore the practice of house calls. But that seems to be one result of the Affordable Care Act. Medical practitioners are suddenly eager to visit us at home again. And it’s not just the family doctor. It is a coordinated team hoping to provide coordinated care. This is having a strong impact on the lives of residents of affordable housing. Instead of making office visits when an emergency occurs, elder adults are having their health tracked steadily in their homes.

In this issue, we look at the modern modifications in healthcare delivery and how they are being utilized by owners and managers to improve the lives of tenants, cut down on turnover and, at the same time, save our society unnecessary expenses. It’s a win-win-win—for residents, for owners and for taxpayers.

We begin with the healthcare industry point of view—a conversation about advanced thinking on in-home health with Teresa Lee, who administers the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation, a collaboration of major in-home health providers. (Talking Heads) Then staff writer Mark Olshaker provides an overview of programs and research that are yielding the evidence that the collaboration between housing and healthcare is improving resident outcomes. (There’s a Doctor in the Building) And, as examples, we look at the comprehensive approaches to providing health and wellness services by three NH&RA member companies—Enterprise Community Partners, Beacon Communities and National Church Residences.

While healthcare delivery may be progressing, the other supportive services needed to age in place are fragmented. In How Do You Age in Place?, I report on a systematic in-home delivery system being conceived by the National Aging in Place Council.

And staff writer Bendix Anderson explores how New Markets Tax Credits are also playing a role in the new healthcare delivery system in a case study on the development of the Lana’i Community Health Center on the island of Lanai in Hawaii. (Funding in Paradise)

You will find many of the ideas here eye-opening. In-home health and wellness care has entered a period of innovation and transition. If you are looking for the next American revolution, this may well be it.

We are pleased to be able share some of the newest thinking in this vital area with you and hope it inspires you as it has inspired us.

Marty Bell, Editor