Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Developing Care Delivery Models using a Community Partnership Approach
Claudia Jean Beverly, RN, PhD, FAAN1, David A. Lipschitz, MD, PhD2, Ronni Chernoff, PhD, RD, FADA3, Robin McAtee, RN, MHSA4, and Gwynn V. Davis, MNSc, RN1. (1) Center on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA, (2) Reynolds Dept. of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA, (3) GRECC (182/LR), Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR, USA, (4) University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Objective: The Arkansas Tobacco Settlement funds were used to fund the Arkansas Aging Initiative (AAI) to establish a network of seven Centers on Aging statewide. Nurses are in key leadership roles in all sites. We will report on the process measures used to evaluate the success of this interdisciplinary model in two centers. We will discuss the challenges of 1) building rural community partnerships, 2) establishing provider-based outpatient senior health clinics in rural settings, and 3) providing specialized geriatric education in a rural state. Design: Using a community partnership approach, these Centers were designed to incorporate an interdisciplinary model of care. A needs assessment was conducted in the seven rural regions to determine the perception of health needs. Programs were then designed to address these needs. A pre-post longitudinal design is being used to evaluate the outcome of this model. Sample: The current 200 participants are 70% female. Forty-three percent are 60-74, 38% are 75-84, and 17% are older than 85 and 60% have a high school education or less. Methods: Baseline data being collected include demographic characteristics, diagnosis, co-morbidities, cognitive status, nutritional and other health promotion behaviors. In addition to the interdisciplinary model of care, the intervention includes a strong education component that involves ongoing community-based education for health care professionals and students, patients and their families, and the community. Health information resource centers were also established in each site. Examples of process measures being collected include the number of new patients being served and the number of educational encounters. Longitudinal outcomes measures will include decreases in morbidity and mortality. Implications: The unique infrastructure being developed by the AAI for older adults has the potential for replication in other states, specifically in rural settings, and may serve as a model for others internationally with similar challenges.
Back to Building Evidence for Innovative Models of Geriatric Care: The Experience of the Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence in the US
Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004