Shelter-based convalescence for homeless adults in Amsterdam: a descriptive study

Adequate support for homeless populations includes shelter and care to recuperate from illness. This is a descriptive analysis of diagnoses and use of shelter-based convalescence in a cohort of homeless adults in Amsterdam. Over the last decades, shelter-based convalescence care programs increasingly emerged in the western world. The limited body of research in Australia, Canada and the US suggests that these programs are cost-effective, reduce hospital readmissions, and have important social medical support and service-networking benefits for the clients. However, it is argued that much remains to be learned about these programs. To contribute to the knowledge, we describe a shelter based convalescence program for ill homeless adults in Amsterdam. A seven-year period of shelter-based convalescence use was reviewed to determine the demographics, medical diagnoses, referral patterns, length of stay, discharge locations, mortality rate, and use patterns.