Veterans Affairs Wilmington Healthcare System Article: Wilmington VA Leading the Way for Age-Friendly Care
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has published an article, "Wilmington VA Leading the Way for Age-Friendly Care."
The article highlights how the Wilmington VA Medical Center’s Geriatrics and Extended Care is bringing Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) program to nearly 200 Veterans in the comfort of their own home. The article shares the story of U.S. Army Veteran Lawrence Pitts and his sister Anita Pitts using HBPC to help after Lawrence's stroke.
Veterans in the HBPC program with mobility limitations can take advantage of virtual exercise groups led by a VA Occupational Therapist. Benefits like this gives Veterans like U.S. Navy Veteran, Brian Richards, a chance to interact with other Veterans while increasing strength and function.
The program also offers Respite Care, allowing veterans short stays in nursing homes to give family caregivers a break. The Geriatrics and Extended Care team also supports veterans in finding alternatives to nursing homes, such as the Medical Foster Homes program, which provides 24/7 supervised care in a comfortable, non-institutional setting.
The Veterans Administrations Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care has joined the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement – an initiative to deliver safe, reliable, high-quality health care in every setting based on what matters most to Veterans. The Wilmington VA Medical Center was recently recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) as a level two age-friendly health system.
Read the article.
Learn more about VA Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) initiative.
Learn more about the AFHS initiative.
Learn more about JAHF's co-support of HBPC.
