Care of the elderly population cannot be fully complete without the input of all the interdisciplinary professional teams. The American Geriatrics Society (AGS, 2011), noted that geriatric care promotes preventive care that is centered on care coordination and management to maintain functional independence. I currently do my practicum in one of the VA Community Living Centers (CLC), and I noted that the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Model is being utilized by the facility. The PACE Model was developed to “promote effective and efficient treatment of patients with multiple chronic conditions outside of the hospital setting” (Casiano, 2015). The AGS, (2011) also noted that, this model empowers the individual to live independently in the community with a high quality of life. The interdisciplinary geriatric care team comprises of the unit physician, advanced nurse practitioner (ANP), registered nurse, physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapists, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, nutritionist, and podiatrist. All these professionals work together to provide high quality care for the veterans, keeping them out of the hospital, and making them independent in their activities of daily living.
With regards to other sites of care such as the hospital, the nursing homes and the rehabilitation centers, different models of care are used. For instance, in the hospital, the Geriatric Resource Nurse (GRN) is used based on the “belief that the primary nurses know the most about the daily patterns and needs of the older adults in their units” (Flaherty & Resnick, 2011). Although the nurses work hand in hand with the physicians and the nurse practitioners, they carry the workload of the patients and serve as resource for geriatric practices. I also noted that, the primary care clinics use the Guided Care Model where a registered nurse assists three to four physicians in providing care for the patients.