More significant still is the fact that 67percent of those who are 65 and older in Missouri, reside in rural counties. There continues to be an increasing number of elderly persons needing and receiving health care in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care in this state. It is anticipated that this trend will continue as people are living longer which is requiring increased health care services to manage chronic illnesses. These factors will place greater demands on the health care system and upon health professionals. In the present health care delivery system, there is often serious discontinuity between in-patient treatment of patients and what happens once they are discharged from an acute care setting.
Continuity of care is of great concern to both the elderly and their caregivers.
Surveys conducted in 1978 of nurses, administrators, and physicians in long-term care facilities suggest a strong consensus among all respondents that closer relationships with hospitals should be established. Continuity, or a continuum of care among acute care units, the nursing home community, and home care settings for the elderly is fast becoming a necessity in the health care community. Geriatric assessment can arguably play an important role in states with high aged populations and in states with populations with large numbers of elderly living in medically underserved or unserved areas. Geriatric assessment can help maximize available services and help divert individuals away from acute-care and nursing home settings if other interventions are found to be more appropriate. In addition, since there is often a heavier reliance on informal care approaches in rural areas, geriatric assessment can be a significant component in monitoring and implementing a patient s care plan.