Brief Summary
The purpose of this project was to assess the feasibility of expanding assessment for home and community-based services to include residential environmental hazards that pose a risk to aging in place.

Objectives

1. Review major tools currently used in home health/HCBS to assess the feasibility of incorporating a residential environmental hazards assessment module into existing home health assessment tools
2. Develop and iteratively refine a residential environmental hazards assessment tool (Healthy Home Assessment Tool, H-HAT) that can be used as an add-on component to current assessment tools for Medicaid HCBS or other home healthcare services
3. Test the usability of the tool with home health assessors and the feasibility of adding it to the resident assessment workflow

Results
H-HAT was piloted in 41 low-income older adult households in the Pittsburgh region. Mold odor was noted in 23% of residences, water damage in 48.7%, air quality above EPA standards in 61.0%, radon level above EPA standards in 21.9%. Residents received resources for mitigation through their community care managers as well as an air purifier as part of the program.

Community Impact
H-HAT offers a practical, feasible method for assessment and mitigation of negative environmental exposures through existing home and community-based services to promote aging in place.

Partners