2017 Better Government Competition Winner: Hebrew SeniorLife’s R3: Right Care, Right Place, Right Time

Submitted by: Kim Brooks, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Living, Hebrew SeniorLife

The needs of seniors in supportive housing span a range of issues. Physical health issues decrease mobility, impede gross and fine motor skills, and affect vision, making it difficult to maintain independence. These seniors are at increased risk of falling, a primary cause of emergency transports to hospitals, as well as increased risk of depression due to social isolation.

Many seniors living in supportive housing meet the income guidelines for housing, but do not meet the income guidelines for MassHealth coverage. The lack of coordination between housing and healthcare is a missed opportunity. HSL’s Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: Effectively Integrating Senior Care and Housing initiative provides coordinated services to vulnerable seniors to help them live independently. Teams embedded in elderly residential complexes serve as links between housing and health care, maximizing the effectiveness of existing housing resources and streamlining communication with emergency responders and payers. The primary aim of R3 is to reduce the incidence of unnecessary transfers of seniors from their homes to hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as to reduce associated costs.

Watch this video clip highlighting Hebrew SeniorLife:

Compendium – Better Government Competition 2017 by Pioneer Institute on Scribd