Staying at home : which dimensions to assess in older persons ?

Defining the limits of home long term care is not an easy task. For the health care professionals, deciding whether to support older patients in their plan to stay at home requires a structured approach, based on objective information. It is critical to systematically collect information on a patient's needs resulting from medical problems and their management, from his or her functional, cognitive, affective and nutritional status, as well as on mobility, social, spiritual, and financial resources that can be mobilized by the patient, his or her relatives, and the health care professionals. This information allows to first determine the potential gap between the patient's needs and available resources, and then to define possible scenarios to discuss with the patient and his or her relatives to reach a sustainable decision.