Since launching our Hartford Change AGEnts initiative late last year, we’ve taken the first steps toward our goal of accelerating sustained practice change that improves the health of older Americans, their families, and communities.
Change AGEnts are connecting through our online community and the first two Change AGEnts Networks—focused on patient-centered medical homes and dementia caregiving—are already hard at work. We’ve funded nine Change AGEnts Action Awards and are currently accepting applications for our second cohort, and we’ve awarded collaborative pilot grants in partnership with the Change AGEnts program for our Centers of Excellence Scholars and for Beeson Scholars.
The initiative’s leadership team and our partners at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) are working hard to support the Change AGEnts community and are ready and willing to help people engage. Since we get lots of questions about how people can get involved, we thought that addressing them in a Q&A would be helpful and highlight some immediate opportunities.
Q: First, a basic question: Am I Hartford Change AGEnt?
A: If you’ve ever been connected to a Hartford-funded project as a scholar, grantee, mentor, advisor, or in any other way and want to build your skills and connections with others to change how care is delivered to older adults and improve their health, you are a Hartford Change AGEnt.
Q: Ok, I’m a Hartford Change AGEnt! I really do want to take my geriatrics expertise and make change. How can the Change AGEnts help me connect with others and build my skills to press for care improvements in my institution and get more involved in my health system’s redesign efforts?
A: We’ve got the perfect opportunity for you. We are gathering Change AGEnts for a unique, interprofessional leadership conference on Dec. 3-4, 2014 in Philadelphia. The agenda for the meeting, which runs from 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4, will be posted shortly. But we know that it will feature keynote speakers, interactive skill-building workshops on a variety of topics, and short-format problem-solving sessions—all with an emphasis on helping you apply new knowledge and skills to the change efforts you are already working on.
If you are interested in changing policy at the local, state, or federal level, shaping your research to inform or develop new tools, measures, or models of care, or advocating for more geriatrics in the education of practicing clinicians and trainees, this conference is also for you.
Travel and lodging is included, and participants need to complete a brief Statement of Interest by Wednesday, Sept. 24. For more details, visit our Change AGEnts Conference page.
Q: I have a great idea for making change in how care is delivered in my community, but I could use some financial resources to make it happen. How can the Change AGEnts help?
A: Apply for one of the Change AGEnts Action Awards due Oct. 15. These one-year grants for up to $10,000 are available to interprofessional teams led by Hartford Change AGEnts for the purpose of achieving meaningful change to practice or policy that will improve the health and well-being of older adults and/or their families. Projects should include collaborative and interprofessional processes that use strong evidence to achieve results. Proposals should reflect the involvement of the proposed “adopter” organizations and other stakeholders in the project. We expect to fund five to eight grants under this announcement. More opportunities will be made available throughout the course of the initiative. Find more information on our Funding Opportunities page.
Q: What can I do if I’m really interested in learning more about how to influence policy makers with my work?
A: We will offer a variety of opportunities to learn policy change skills through the Dec. 3-4 Change AGEnts conference, our annual Policy Institute, and through a series of webinars. As a first step, participate in the next Change AGEnts policy webinar on Testifying Before Policymakers as Part of the Change Process. We’ll also be offering skill-building webinars on a variety of topics beyond policy change, so check back often on our Events and Webinars page.
Q: I’m working in a specific area of geriatric care and feel really alone in my own institution. How can I find and connect with others who share my interests?
A: Join the Change AGEnts Community and connect with others via our online platform. If you haven't already, submit a request for an account (link downloads a PDF of the request form). Fill out your profile, identify your interest areas, and then search for others with similar interests across the country. If you already know of several Change AGEnts across the country who are working in your area on a particular topic, start a micro-community and utilize all of the online platform’s tools and resources to help you connect.
For everything you need to know about how to join the Change AGEnts Community, view or download a PDF of our Getting Started Guide.