Our Goals

Working to Improve Older Georgians’ Health Outcomes

Unfortunately, Georgia's healthcare delivery system and workforce are not prepared for the needs of our rapidly growing population of older Georgians. Georgia Gear's goals are focused on better preparing for these needs:

1. Improve Older Adult Care Provider Curriculum

We facilitate partnership between academia, primary care systems, and community organizations to educate our older adult healthcare workforce. With well-built curricula and more providers trained in aging related healthcare issues, Georgia's older adults will experience better health outcomes.

2. Improve Older Adult Health Outcomes

We are partnering with the Georgia Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment Collaborative to improve healthcare providers' advance care planning competencies. We're also partnering with RYSE to support faculty development programs for physicians from historically underrepresented minorities to provide care for older adults. Additionally, we are focused on training providers to screen for opioid misuse, provide dementia caregiver education, and provide dementia caregiver referral to community services.

3. Transform Clinical Training Environments

We are partnering with the Atlanta Site Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) to advance the EQUIPPED and IMPROVE programs to offer Georgians age-friendly healthcare visits.

4. Enhance Community Based Programs

We are partnering with The Georgia Division of Aging Services and Thanks Mom and Dad to offer falls prevention programs. We also partner with the Atlanta Medical Association to advance age-friendly care.

5. Enhance Provision of Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Care

We are partnering with the Alter program to increase awareness of, and reduce stigma of, dementia in African American church communities. We are also partnering with the Integrated Memory Care team to expand dementia focused primary care for appropriate patients.

 

6. Enhance Telehealth Services for COVID-19 Treatment

We partnered with Emory Healthcare to prevent hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients using telehealth technologies, prepare the workforce to provide COVID-19 patient care management, and to respond to patient care needs using a standardized process for escalation of patient care.

7. Train Nursing Home and Registered Nursing Workforce

We have partnered with (nursing home) and Dad's Garage to increase communication skills of nursing home staff and nursing learners, with a goal to improve patient health outcomes and enhance workplace engagement for nursing home staff.

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