CARE at the UW-Madison School of Nursing
As the U.S. population ages, the demand grows for long-term care. An estimated two-thirds of those who reach age 65 will eventually need long-term care, for short stays or ongoing assistance. Collectively, the number of people living in nursing homes or other residential care facilities, or using home care services is expected to nearly double, …
Honor residents’ preferences in their care. Provide a home-like environment. Encourage collaboration among staff. Build close relationships between residents and staff. Support direct care workers’ professional and personal development. Who could argue with the basic tenets of the nursing home culture change movement? Stated in the abstract, they seem eminently reasonable and undeniably beneficial. But …
Heart failure, the only major cardiovascular disease that’s growing in prevalence, affects many older adults. Five million U.S. residents live with heart failure; half of them are at least 75 years old. Living with such a serious disease—let alone the multiple chronic conditions experienced by many older adults—drastically impacts a person’s quality of life. Common …
How can state policymakers meet the increased demand for long-term services and supports and ensure quality care for often-vulnerable populations, while staying within tight budgets? It’s not an easy task. For one thing, state policies aren’t the only factor shaping long-term care. There are federal policies, regulations, funding and initiatives; market, financial and workforce pressures; …
Asked what services the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Central Wisconsin provides in Marathon, Wood, Langlade and Lincoln Counties, two of the agency’s community health educators laugh. It’s a long list. “We offer healthy living classes and evidence-based programs,” says Ciara Schultz, MS. “We do Meals on Wheels and congregate meal sites. We …
For older adults undergoing surgery, delirium is a common and serious complication. Older adults have a 15 to 50 percent chance of experiencing delirium following a major operation. And it’s older adults “who, as a group, undergo more than one-third of all inpatient operations in the United States annually,” notes Thomas Robinson, MD, MS, FACS, …
“Once I’d seen the transformation of elder care under way, I was struck by the simple insight on which it rested, and by its profound implications for medicine, including what happens in my own office,” surgeon and author Atul Gawande writes in his latest book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Through …
“People love to feel ‘normal,’” says Betty Lefebvre-Hill, MSE, the Fox Valley Memory Project’s Program Coordinator. “They want to get out and have the type of experiences they’ve enjoyed their whole lives, but then felt that they had to put aside. Re-engaging is joyful, and it’s heartwarming to be a part of that.” For an …
How can I communicate effectively with health care providers? What does healthy aging look like? How can I safely stay in my home? These are important questions for anyone. For the growing number of older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and their caregivers, they are crucial. More people with ID are living longer, thanks to …
“The management of chronic illnesses is demanding,” says Karen Rook, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California–Irvine. “Patients frequently must initiate and then sustain changes in multiple health behaviors, often for the rest of their lives,” explains Rook, the keynote speaker at the UW Institute on Aging’s 2014 colloquium. “They …