Older adults often require specialized hospital care to prevent delirium and functional decline.
“People with delirium may appear confused, restless or sleepy,” said geriatrician Jonny Macias Tejada, MD. “And some research suggests that for older adults with underlying dementia, delirium may accelerate their cognitive decline”.
When performed correctly, this specialized care – specifically American Geriatric Society (AGS) CoCare®: HELP, formerly known as HELP, the Hospital Elder Life Program – has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes and lower health care costs.
A research team at Aurora Health Care, led by scientist Michelle Simpson, PhD, RN, and Dr. Macias Tejada, took this model a step further and found that patient outcomes continued to improve when those specialized care protocols and activities were performed across the continuum of care, in this case within a patient’s home, in partnership with a patient’s formal caregivers – in-home nurses, physician therapists – and family.
The researchers adapted AGS CoCare®: HELP to create the HELP in Home toolkit, which AGS has since licensed and made available nationwide. Aurora clinicians Amy Driscoll, DNP, RN, who was a manager for Aurora home care at the time, and geriatrician Michael Malone, MD, also contributed to the creation of HELP in Home and its validation.
HELP integrates the principles of geriatrics into standard nursing and medical care on any hospital unit by adding to the care team an Elder Life Nurse Specialist and specially trained volunteers. This interdisciplinary team provides interventions designed to address a broad scope of geriatric issues known to prevent delirium (acute confusion) and functional decline during hospitalization. The program includes cognitive orientation, therapeutic activities, sleep enhancement strategies, exercise and mobilization, hearing and vision aids, feeding assistance, and hydration prevention.
HELP is now the standard of care at four Aurora hospitals in Wisconsin (Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center and Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, Aurora Medical Center – Grafton, and, most recently, Aurora West Allis Medical Center) for people at high risk of delirium.
“Aurora is the first health system in the country to formally integrate AGS CoCare®: HELP into its home care services for qualifying patients,” Dr. Simpson said.
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