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Older persons with lived or living experience of homelessness (PWLEs) often live with complex physical and/or mental health conditions which are challenged by poor access to health services, especially primary care. To fill the gap in the continuum of care following hospital discharge for PWLEs, medical respite provides health and shelter support for PWLEs who do not have acute care needs that qualify for a stay in a hospital bed, yet are too sick or frail to recover on the streets or in a traditional shelter.
This study examines how a medical respite could be designed for older PWLEs in Metro Vancouver, BC.
Using a community-based participatory research approach, in-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with PWLE (n=15) and service provider (n=11) participants.
Participants offered rich suggestions about (a) the culture of the medical respite, (b) the physical design of a medical respite, (c) individuals who should be involved in medical respite delivery, (d) services a medical respite should provide, and (e) who the medical respite should serve.
When designing a medical respite for older PWLEs, considerations include providing an environment where patients can rest, but also feel safe and be surrounded by persons who they trust and who care for them. Developing a medical respite that adheres to the tenets of trauma-informed and patient-centered care acknowledges the mistrust and traumatization that often accompanies homeless patients presenting to health care.
When designing a medical respite for older PWLEs, considerations include providing an environment where patients can rest, but also feel safe and be surrounded by persons who they trust and who care for them. Developing a medical respite that adheres to the tenets of trauma-informed and patient-centered care acknowledges the mistrust and traumatization that often accompanies homeless patients presenting to health care.
Intervention studies with vulnerable groups in the emergency department (ED) suffer from lower quality and an absence of administrative health data. We used administrative health data to identify and describe people experiencing homelessness who access EDs, characterize patterns of ED use relative to the general population, and apply findings to inform the design of a peer support program.
We conducted a serial cross-sectional study using administrative health data to examine ED use by people experiencing homelessness and nonhomeless individuals in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2018. Outcomes included number of visits; unique patients; group proportions of Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) scores; time spent in emergency; and time to see an MD. Descriptive statistics were generated with t tests for point estimates and a Mann-Whitney U test for distributional measures.
We included 1,486,699 ED visits. The number of unique people experiencing homelessness ranged from 91 in 2010 to 344 in 2017, trending higher over the study period compared with nonhomeless patients. Rate of visits increased from 1.7 to 2.8 per person. People experiencing homelessness presented later with higher overall acuity compared with the general population. Time in the ED and time to see an MD were greater among people experiencing homelessness.
People experiencing homelessness demonstrate increasing visits, worse health, and longer time in the ED when compared with the general population, which may be a burden on both patients and the health care system.
People experiencing homelessness demonstrate increasing visits, worse health, and longer time in the ED when compared with the general population, which may be a burden on both patients and the health care system.
Research indicates that adults with severe mental illness have lower income and employment than adults without severe mental illness. Further, mental illness has been identified as a risk factor for homelessness. click here However, little research has investigated the interrelationships between financial strain, mental illness, and homelessness. It is unknown whether or to what extent financial strain mediates the association between mental illness and subsequent homelessness.
This study examined financial strain and severe mental illness (psychotic, bipolar, and depressive disorders in the past 12 months) as predictors of subsequent homelessness and financial strain as a mediator of the link between severe mental illness and homelessness by analyzing data from waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (n=34,653).
χ2 and multivariable analyses revealed that financial crises and debt, lower income, unemployment, and past homelessness at wave 1 each significantly predictedupport assessment of financial well-being in the context of treatment of mental illness and homeless service programs. The results suggest that individuals experiencing homelessness who have severe mental illness may benefit from assistance increasing financial literacy, improving money management, and achieving financial well-being.
Providing permanent supportive housing to chronically homeless persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLH) contributes to improved human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outcomes, including adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This study seeks to understand whether certain components of housing, namely intensity of case management and specialized HIV housing programs, affects ART adherence for PLH in supportive housing.
From 2015 to 2019 we conducted quantitative assessments with 157 PLH in supportive housing at baseline, 6-, 12-, and 18-month postbaseline to identify factors associated with ART adherence. General Estimating Equations for repeated measures were performed to assess bivariate and multivariate measures.
Two thirds of PLH in supportive housing reported 95% or greater adherence to ART. Multivariate analyses indicate that neither intensity of case management services nor specialized housing for PLH were associated with greater ART adherence. Greater time since diagnosis was positively associated with ART adherence. Greater depressive symptoms and African American race were negatively associated with ART adherence.
Study findings reveal that although prior research has established the importance of receipt of housing for homeless PLH, the type or intensity of case management services associated with that housing may not be as important as simply being housed. Our results highlight the importance of considering mental health and more recent HIV diagnosis when developing treatment and case management plans to enhance residents' ART adherence.
Study findings reveal that although prior research has established the importance of receipt of housing for homeless PLH, the type or intensity of case management services associated with that housing may not be as important as simply being housed. Our results highlight the importance of considering mental health and more recent HIV diagnosis when developing treatment and case management plans to enhance residents' ART adherence.
The behavioral model of health service use identified health needs, service preferences (predispositions), and service availability (enabling factors) as important predictors, but research has not conceptualized consistently each type of influence nor identified their separate effects on use of substance abuse and mental health services or their value in predicting service outcomes.
To test hypotheses predicting use of substance abuse and mental health services and residential stability and evaluate peer specialists' impact.
Randomized trial of peer support added to standard case management in VA-supported housing program (Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing program).
One hundred sixty-six dually diagnosed Veterans in Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing program in 2 cities.
Average VA service episodes for substance abuse and mental illness; residential instability; preferences for alcohol, drug, and psychological services; extent of alcohol, drug, and psychological prd the importance of clinical judgment in needs assessment. Service availability and residential stability can be increased by proactive efforts involving peer specialists even in a health care system that provides services without a financial barrier.
Individuals who are homeless have complex health care needs, which contribute to the frequent use of health services. In this study, we investigated the relationship between housing and health care utilization among adults with a history of homelessness in Ontario.
Survey data from a 4-year prospective cohort study were linked with administrative health records in Ontario. Annual rates of health encounters and mean costs were compared across housing categories (homeless, inconsistently housed, housed), which were based on the percentage of time an individual was housed. Generalized estimating equations were applied to estimate the average annual effect of housing status on health care utilization and costs.
Over the study period, the proportion of individuals who were housed increased from 37% to 69%. The unadjusted rates of ambulatory care visits, prescription medications, and laboratory tests were highest during person-years spent housed or inconsistently housed and the rate of emergency department vidy period. The rate of prescription medications was higher during person-years spent housed or inconsistently housed compared with the homeless. The cost analysis suggests that housing may reduce health care costs over time; however, future work is needed to confirm the reason for the reduction in total costs observed in later years.This introduction describes the impetus and context for this special issue on multimorbidity in homeless populations. link2 The guest editors begin the introduction by describing the problem of homelessness which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The editors then describe the content of this special issue, which includes original research examining special populations such as homeless youth, aging populations, and Veterans as well as medical and behavioral health conditions such as tuberculosis, HIV, and opioid use disorder. Two editorials are also included in this special issue that comment on the history of homelessness and the link between homelessness and suicide. The editors acknowledge the different stakeholders that helped support this special issue and highlight the need for continued research and innovative solutions to improve the health, housing, and well-being of homeless populations.While biomechanically important, pulleys present multiple challenges to a zone 2 flexor tendon repair and rehabilitation. Retrieval of tendon through an intact pulley is cumbersome. Following repair, venting is often needed to accommodate the bulk at repair site. On occasion, step lengthening, or even complete division of pulley and reconstruction with tendon graft are necessary. Finally, accessing the tendon under the pulley during tenolysis is difficult. The primary issue in all such cases is the lack of space under the pulley. link3 We describe a technique of expanding the pulley by interdigitating cuts. This technique greatly increases the diameter of the pulley which could be demonstrated in cadaver model and noted in clinical setting. This technique is easy to perform and maintains the integrity of the pulley without complete division. It would allow easy tendon retrieval, provide space for the repair and gliding, and improve exposure during tenolysis.