The context and purpose of study was to examine the relationships between Family Support (FS), Community Support (CS) and Length of Stay (LOS) in hospital. Fairly extensive community support measures such as financial, volunteer, day care, short stay programs and transport to hospital ER services with MD home visits have been made available in the study areas (Tokyo and Furukawa). Family support was measured in terms of the availability and ability of the home care providers (eg bathing and feeding) to assist the elderly person in a separate room at home. Methodology: Two areas, one in the Tokyo metropolitan area and one in the Furukawa City area were chosen for the study. The questionnaire developed by a Japanese research group was modified. Random samples of elderly care hospital users in selected areas were surveyed. Findings: The findings suggest that the period of hospitalization was reduced with increased FS while it was paradoxically found that CS with the extensive resource package for care did not always correlated with reduced LOS. Discussion: The reduced LOS with increase in family support can be explained by the ability to care for individuals at home after discharge. The finding that CS with its comprehensive dimensions was not able to impact on LOS is not easily explainable. An interesting and important dimension seen in this study was at the Naruse (Tokyo) City’s volunteer elderly program with emphasis on self-reliance models in elderly care which suggests that FS and CS are interchangeable resources in reducing LOS.
Learning Objectives: To assess the influence of family support and community support in decreasing length of stay To illustrate the interrelationships between family support and community support
Keywords: Community Assets, Family Involvement
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.