Community health workers (CHWs) — also referred to as promotores, community health representatives, and peer navigators — are trusted professionals who share lived experience with the individuals and communities they support. While CHW programs have a long-standing presence in primary care settings, there is a growing focus on integrating CHWs into interdisciplinary teams specifically to support older adults. These initiatives aim to address the complex and interconnected needs of aging populations, including physical health, behavioral health, and health-related social needs. Emerging evidence demonstrates that connecting older adults with CHWs can lead to reduced acute care utilization and costs, improved chronic disease management, enhanced social connectedness, and decreased health disparities.

Health care stakeholders can use this Evidence-to-Action Collection to understand the evidence behind CHW programs supporting older adults and practical strategies to support effective implementation of these programs. CHW programs featured focus on improving care for older adult populations with complex health and social needs, including dual-eligible individuals, individuals with dementia, and individuals experiencing social isolation, depression, and housing insecurity.

Explore the Collection to learn about:

Evidence

Case Examples

Implementation Tools