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VOLUNTEERS FOR THE AGES OLDER HOSPITAL INPATIENTS have unique challenges and often require special assis- tance. Crouse Hospital's Aging and Complex Care service includes the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a network of specially trained volunteers who aid geriatric patients with basic functions. "The HELP volunteers assist with ambulation, mealtime needs and therapeutic activi- Tariq Khan, a senior-centered care volunteer, visits with a patient. ties," says Christy Bond, M.S., FACHE, Director of Aging and Complex Care at Crouse Hospital. "While they work with these patients, the volunteers provide invaluable regular social interaction, such as talking with patients about their interests or reading to them." Volunteer services range from assisting patients who have visual impairments to play- ing board games that stimulate cognition. Approximately 20 HELP volunteers maintain an atmosphere that helps prevent physical and cognitive decline for hospitalized elders. Jacquelyn Harvey, a senior-centered care volunteer, visits with a patient. Tranquil Transitions In improving the hospital's geriatric services, the Crouse team recognized the importance of a smooth transition from one stage of care to another. "The periods of transition between levels of care offer great opportunities to improve quality of care and patient outcomes," Dr. Dube says. Through the hospital's innovative Care Transitions program, a nurse accompanies identified patients from their hospital beds to discharge to their homes and coaches the patients through self-care. These specially trained transition "coaches" walk patients through their medication schedules and prepare them for follow-up visits. "Emergent readmission prevention is the bottom line of the Care Transitions program," Bond says. "The Care Transition nurses help patients adapt to their new circumstances and learn to navigate the health care system." Collaborative Care The Crouse team regularly joins area geriatric care experts to augment services. The Care Transitions program came about through collaborations funded by the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. Through these collaborations, Crouse received training from nationally recognized experts in transitional care. The interdisciplinary ACE team doing daily rounds EXCLUSIVELY INCLUSIVE CROUSE HOSPITAL IS one of only six U.S. hospitals invited to participate in the Medicare Innovations Collaborative (Med-IC), a strategic program designed to streamline acute and transitional services to patients receiving Medicare benefits. Although exclusive in its collaborators, Med-IC seeks to make the health care process for seniors extremely inclusive — combining several models of care into a "portfolio" of services. "The Med-IC initiative allowed Crouse to pull different medical teams together to help identify which programs would most benefit individual patients," says Christy Bond, M.S., FACHE, Director of Aging and Complex Care at Crouse Hospital. "Since this relates to Medicare, our experiences could influence public policy regarding senior care." Also funded by the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York was a collaboration between Crouse Hospital and AURORA of Central New York, a nonprofit organization focused on helping individuals with all levels of hearing and vision impairment. The Crouse Aging and Complex Care service and AURORA assessed processes for patients who suffer from hearing or vision loss and found solutions for admissions, meal services and regular communica- tions. Among the improvements that have been introduced via the collaboration with AURORA are lipped plates that aid blind patients in independent eating and specialized training for staff members on improving communication with patients with hearing and vision loss. With so many programs and protocols in place to support the health care needs of older patients, Crouse Hospital is prepared to offer tailored care designed to address the unique needs of an aging population. Visit crouse.org to learn more about Aging and Complex Care services at Crouse Hospital. s MDNEWS.COM s MD NEWS Central New York | 17