Case Management: Improving Integrated Home Care of Older People in Hong Kong

Meeting the complex needs of older people requires an effective collaborative approach. Case management is one of the integrated care models to address the changing needs of older people. However, formidable barriers exist to creating effective case management. In Hong Kong, the case management approach has been recommended as a new service delivery model for community-based care of older people to promote their well-being. Currently, Hong Kong lacks a comprehensive case management model for community-based care of older people, and extant case management programs prove ineffective. To fill this knowledge gap, exploratory qualitative research was conducted on case management in Hong Kong, with research questions of how a case management model can be implemented successfully for the integrated home care services of older people? What are the barriers and facilitators to implement case management? This study provides new insights on the potential roles, functions, and practices of a case management approach in integrated home care services, which is based on the analysis of findings from focus group and individual interviews with older people, family caregivers, health and social care professionals of home care service. The findings underscore the important of case management in integrated home care, but also identifies the barriers that need to be overcome to implement the case management at the individual (values and awareness), organizational (management and professional practices) and societal (policy) levels. The study points to several policy-related implications to promote interprofessional collaboration in integrated home care.