Community-based organizations (CBOs) can help patients find needed emotional and practical help with everything from buying food to exercise to finding support groups. Many community-based organizations routinely help people self-manage. With some planning, CBOs can support your patients in many ways that will improve their quality of life (e.g housing, stress reduction, domestic violence counseling, home health aides, etc.) and ultimately enhance the care you provide.

The National Council on Aging points out that  “CBO staff members are often aware of clinically relevant issues around living situations and networks of social support. When older adults have multiple health problems, just keeping up with what they need to do can be overwhelming. They may not know about help they could get with day-to-day living unless their doctor hands them a phone number that links them to a community agency that is ready to help.”

Explore these topics for ideas:

• Identify Helpful Community Programs (and other resources) – Find what is out there and what they do.
• Make this information available to patients and families – Tailoring referrals to what individuals need and want.
• Partner with community-based organizations – To create joint programs of health initiatives.

You can go as far as you want down this road. As with other elements of self-management support, physicians do not have to do all the work – other clinic staff members, volunteers, and patient or family members can do a great deal of the legwork.