The continued success of registered nurse care coordination in a state evaluation of aging in place in senior housing.

Older adults prefer to age in place, remaining in their home as their health care needs intensify. In a state evaluation of aging in place (AIP), the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing and Americare System Inc, Sikeston, MO, developed an elder housing facility to be an ideal housing environment for older adults to test the AIP care delivery model. An evaluation of the first 4 years (2005-2008) of the AIP program at TigerPlace (n = 66) revealed that the program was effective in restoring health and maintaining independence while being cost-effective. Similar results evaluating the subsequent 4 years (2009-2012) of the program (N = 128) revealed positive health outcomes (fall risk, gait velocity, Functional Ambulation Profile, handgrips, Short-Form 12 Physical Health, Short-Form 12 Mental Health, and Geriatric Depression Scale); slightly negative activities of daily living, independent activities of daily living, and Mini-Mental State Examination; and positive cost-effectiveness results. Combined care and housing costs for any resident who was receiving additional care services and qualified for nursing home care (n = 44) was about $20,000 less per year per person than nursing home care. Importantly, residents continued to live in private apartments and were encouraged to be as independent as possible through the end of life.