Sustain-Integrated care
The project started from the observation that in all European countries, care for older people is often poorly coordinated. This prevents care from adequately meeting the needs of older adults, and it shows that quality of care and outcomes could be much improved. According to some, integrated care has a potential to concretely improve care services and save some costs.
SUSTAIN will in particular aim to support and improve what we call ‘integrated care’. By a better ‘integration’ of care, we mean that:
- care for older people is better organised, and professionals coordinate the care they deliver;
- older persons’ health and social care needs are well assessed;
- care services listen carefully to older persons and informal carers, seek to involve them in the decisions affecting them and deliver care in line with their needs and preferences as much as they can (‘person-centred care’);
- professionals from different disciplines (prevention, healthcare, social care) are included in the care team, and different types of support are offered (including new technologies);
- care is provided in a continuous way, without gaps in the care delivery process.
Final objective:
Improve established integrated care initiatives in 14 different sites for older people living at home with multiple health and social care needs, ensuring they are patient-centred, prevention-oriented, efficient, and safe.Ensure that improvements brought to the integrated care initiatives are applicable and adaptable to other health systems and regions in Europe.
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