Interdependence: Building partnerships to continue older adults' residence in the community

Current care of older adults focuses on maintenance of independence and frames assessment and decision making about when to intervene. This conceptualization focuses on older adults' deficits and how to compensate for loss of function. Instead of considering independence to continue community residence, an alternative - interdependence - provides a conceptualization that focuses on older adults in the family context and on supportive services, which are the main components of community residence. This article presents the concept of interdependence by analyzing the current research, practice, and policy literature. The article concludes with a discussion of the application of interdependence in gerontological nursing practice and research.