Assessment and planning to improve access to health services, quality of care and continuity of care for elderly Chinese immigrants

In NYC, Asian American elderly is the fastest growing segment of the elderly population—projected to double between now and 2020. As seniors age, they will increasingly need supportive health and social services to remain functional so they can age in the community and delay institutional care. With the Asian elderly population aging and growing, there is a need to put in place geriatric services that will meet the current needs of seniors and provide ongoing comprehensive and affordable care for them as they age.

Objective: To identify service gaps, and develop a program to improve access to health services, quality of care and continuity of care for Chinese seniors.

Methods: Key informant interviews, two focus groups with Chinese seniors, literature review, and an advisory committee of stakeholders and geriatric experts.

Results: Linguistic and culturally appropriate health services are lacking for Chinese seniors. Case management services and patient education are very much needed to help seniors follow through with treatment plans and navigate services. Mental health services, services for those home-bound and affordable services are also lacking. Because the service system is so complex, seniors face great difficulty in accessing the myriad services they need.

Discussion: Based on the findings, a geriatric program was developed. The program design process entailed a review of evidence-based models of care for delivering primary care services to geriatric populations. A program is proposed that will adopt the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model to address the health, mental health and social service needs of Chinese seniors.