Quality Home Care

Project Description Narrative:

In Wisconsin, our population of those aged 85 years or older is increasing, and the majority of them require long-term care to manage chronic illnesses or conditions. Home health care is a necessary alternative to nursing homes, given limited capacity. Much of Wisconsin’s home care is provided by family members, informally, who lose significant income and benefits during their time serving as caregivers. Caregivers, both professional and family, are some of the lowest paid employees in the state. While the need for quality home care is growing, the availability of it is declining.

In order to effectively measure the quality of home care provided to Wisconsin residents, this project will develop and evaluate assessment tool. The resulting home care quality assessment tool will provide quality indicators for in-home care, paving the way for improvement to the delivery of good quality long-term care in our state.

Community partners: Center on Wisconsin Strategy, University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, and USDA Rural Development-Wisconsin