{"title":"Healthy Aging in Subsidized Housing in the United States: Exploring Older Adults' Views of Service Coordination.","authors":"Alia Abiad, Jeffrey Graupner, Renée Kroplewski, Lauren J Gleason, Katherine Thompson","doi":"10.1093/geront/gnaf063","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Low-income older adults face many barriers to healthy aging, including housing cost burden. Publicly subsidized rental units for older adults are one affordable housing option; these typically have a service coordinator who helps tenants access community resources. Previous research has indicated that service coordinators can support resident health. However, little is known about older adults' perspectives on service coordination. Our study aimed to explore how older adults living in subsidized housing perceive the relationship between service coordinators and healthy aging.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We conducted five focus group discussions with residents of three subsidized housing communities for older adults, all in medically underserved urban areas. Participants, 48 in total, were asked about barriers to healthy aging, resources for healthy aging, and what role, if any, service coordinators play in supporting healthy aging. Content analysis was used to identify themes emerging from the data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data analysis yielded 90 codes and sub-codes falling under four themes: challenges in healthy aging, assets for healthy aging, perceptions of service coordinator role, and suggestions for improvement. Across focus groups, participants highlighted that service coordinators can connect residents to health-related assets. Participants also desired future opportunities to make their perspectives on healthy aging heard.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Service coordinators are important, under-recognized collaborators for older adult health. Future healthcare interventions and policies should seek to support service coordinators and leverage their ability to connect older adults with healthcare professionals and community services.</p>","PeriodicalId":51347,"journal":{"name":"Gerontologist","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Gerontologist","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaf063","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and objectives: Low-income older adults face many barriers to healthy aging, including housing cost burden. Publicly subsidized rental units for older adults are one affordable housing option; these typically have a service coordinator who helps tenants access community resources. Previous research has indicated that service coordinators can support resident health. However, little is known about older adults' perspectives on service coordination. Our study aimed to explore how older adults living in subsidized housing perceive the relationship between service coordinators and healthy aging.
Research design and methods: We conducted five focus group discussions with residents of three subsidized housing communities for older adults, all in medically underserved urban areas. Participants, 48 in total, were asked about barriers to healthy aging, resources for healthy aging, and what role, if any, service coordinators play in supporting healthy aging. Content analysis was used to identify themes emerging from the data.
Results: Data analysis yielded 90 codes and sub-codes falling under four themes: challenges in healthy aging, assets for healthy aging, perceptions of service coordinator role, and suggestions for improvement. Across focus groups, participants highlighted that service coordinators can connect residents to health-related assets. Participants also desired future opportunities to make their perspectives on healthy aging heard.
Discussion and implications: Service coordinators are important, under-recognized collaborators for older adult health. Future healthcare interventions and policies should seek to support service coordinators and leverage their ability to connect older adults with healthcare professionals and community services.
期刊介绍:
The Gerontologist, published since 1961, is a bimonthly journal of The Gerontological Society of America that provides a multidisciplinary perspective on human aging by publishing research and analysis on applied social issues. It informs the broad community of disciplines and professions involved in understanding the aging process and providing care to older people. Articles should include a conceptual framework and testable hypotheses. Implications for policy or practice should be highlighted. The Gerontologist publishes quantitative and qualitative research and encourages manuscript submissions of various types including: research articles, intervention research, review articles, measurement articles, forums, and brief reports. Book and media reviews, International Spotlights, and award-winning lectures are commissioned by the editors.