Special to the American
Over the next few years, 78 million baby boomers will begin to reach their retirement age. The number African Americans over age 65 will more than double in the next 20 years. Unfortunately, our healthcare system will be overwhelmed if our aging population continues to have significant medical illness.
With this in mind, medical professionals from Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital have developed a free program to deliver strategies for healthy aging to older adults in the St. Louis community.
The new program is called Collaborative Assessments to Revitalize the Elderly (CARE) in Our Community. According to CARE, one answer to aging successfully may be simple; at any age, making easy lifestyle changes can help people stay independent and healthy. It is never too late, or too early, to take charge of one’s health.
CARE in Our Community helps older adults identify and address common health problems with the goal of keeping them independent and out of a nursing home as long as possible. The program focuses efforts on three areas: impaired mobility, low bone density/risk for fractures, and low mood. These conditions are part of a syndrome known as frailty. Frailty is the most common cause of loss of independence and disability among elderly.
The 18-month program includes health screenings and educational sessions, among other services. The CARE team visits housing sites for older adults, community centers and churches in St. Louis to offer the program. After the screenings, a team of doctors, nurses, social workers and other medical professionals look at the results and develops an individualized set of recommendations for simple lifestyle changes to improve or maintain health.
“It’s very important to get health providers to these seniors because it’s difficult for many to get to the doctor’s office for standard medical care, and a large number of these people suffer with treatable problems that go undiagnosed,” says Consuelo H. Wilkins, M.D., an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and program director for CARE.
“The primary goal of CARE is to keep older adults living independently for as long as possible. Some people think the answer to caring for the aging population is to build more nursing homes. Our solution is to keep people healthy and functional so that don’t need a nursing home, ” said Dr. Wilkins.
CARE also follows participants to help them stay on track. The team visits sites six times to offer additional assessments and support for each person’s progress towards a healthier lifestyle.
Besides caring for seniors, the CARE program aims to educate medical and nursing students about important issues regarding frailty and aging. Students are provided with valuable hands-on experience working one-on-one with doctors caring for older adults.
The ultimate vision for the CARE in Our Community program includes developing an inexpensive, non-medical care model that can be replicated in other universities and hospitals nation-wide.
The CARE program grew out of a successful outreach program initiated in 2005 by the Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science at Washington University School of Medicine. The program has provided health screenings and/or interventions to more than 850 St. Louis seniors.
The data obtained from the initial outreach program found that impaired physical function caused by improper nutrition, depressed mood and low bone density are major contributors to frailty and reduced quality of life.
The Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation is funding the CARE program for the next three years.
For more information, or if you are interested in hosting the CARE in Our Community program, please email care@dom.wustl.edu or call 314-362-8701.