The Development Process for
The Center for Aging Well
The Center for Aging Well
The number of Americans reaching retirement age is growing quickly and that large demographic group will challenge hospitals and other medical care providers to offer care and prevention in new and affordable ways. Saint Luke’s Northland Hospital and Spelman Medical Foundation are working together to design programs to provide outstanding care to residents as they age.
Past Planning Success
The process that the hospital and the foundation used to bring innovative care for women to the Northland is being used to create and coordinate services for seniors.
To design the innovative women’s program, 100 Northland women directed the hospital to give priority to prevention over treatment, cluster the services into a one-stop location, and offer a nurse practioner to coordinate care. The Center for Women’s Care opened in 2006 and now serves more than 5,000 women each year.
Report on the Planning Process for seniors in the Northland
Phase 1
The first phase for the proposed Center for Aging Well began in the fall of 2009. Again, the hospital and the foundation asked the community to work with them to define the priorities and needs for this community. In October, more than 100 community leaders from the Northland and aging experts from around the Kansas City metro area met in small groups to lay down the frame-work for serving the aging. These leaders shared their expertise and talents in one and a half hour sessions conducted by the Executive Director of the Platte County Senior Services, the Director of Saint Luke’s Northland Hospital’s Rehabilitation Services, and the Executive Director of Spelman Medical Foundation.
One of the leader’s pointed out that many good programs for seniors already exist in the Northland but coordination with health care providers is lacking. The hospital was encouraged to avoid duplication in order to avoid wasting limited resources and to create a means for care providers and patients to access these programs. Below are some additional findings from the focus group, in no particular order. We are providing you this peek at the data to stimulate your curiosity for the final report that will be available in the spring.
· The lack of knowledge and access to Northland resources for the aging is enormous.
· The most likely way to get the respondents to participate in exercise is to offer classes in which they can attend with a buddy and which is close to their home.
· The most common way of dealing with stress is prayer, followed by walking, and meditation.
· Aging in the home is the goal of almost everyone.
· People worry about losing their memory and are highly motivated to attend proven programs that will help maintain their brain fitness.
Phase 2
A second round of interviews will be conducted this spring. In this phase, the hospital and foundation will be working with the Center for Practical Bioethics and UMKC School of Nonprofit Management to drill down on barriers to health care for those 70 years of age or older who are facing health problems and limited resources and social isolation.
At the end of phase two, survey results from the still healthy leaders and the frail elderly will be presented to Saint Luke’s Northland Hospital leadership. From this, the hospital will develop a sustainable business model. They expect this will define possibilities that range from small improvements in existing care to visionary programs that connect and expand government and community partnerships to transform the support for seniors in the Northland. The Spelman Medical Foundation will be challenged to determine which resources can be brought to the table that will define the final project‘s goals.
The leadership phase of the capital campaign would then begin which we all hope is at a time when the economy can support the vision of aging well for our seniors.
Please join us at this year’s Vignoble Wine Event benefiting the Spelman Medical Foundation’s activities and programs, which include this planning process for the Center for Aging Well. Without your help, Spelman Medical Foundation would not be able to continue to work with Saint Luke’s to open greatly needed programs such as those which focus on women and the elderly, who are the largest consumers of health care.
For more information on this charity event or to make your reservations, please click here Vignoble Wine Tasting.
If you have specific suggestions for the second phase please contact Gayle Ambrose, PT at 816-532-7139 or for more information please contact the Spelman Medical Foundation at 816-880-6257
Thank you for your support!
Dean Henricksen, Chairman, Spelman Medical Foundation Board of Directors
Phase 1 Focus Group Attendance List
Phase 1 Follow Up Letter to Attendees