[KJW #101] More About Environmental Gerontology, Collaborative Interdisciplinary Team For Better Longevity

Martha Stewart Center For Living at Mount Sanai Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development welcomes Kathy J. Ward, President of WEL, World Elder Land - New York, USA

	How environmental gerontology and interdisciplinary collaborative learning influence health, wellness and a better quality of life for our elders and caregivers, by KJW
	First WEL interdisciplinary geriatrics and gerontology professional development conference for elders and caregivers - USA

Environmental Gerontology: Overview

Multiple studies report that older person overwhelmingly wish to age in place in their own homes and neighborhoods (cf.Lawton, 1975, Tilson, 1990; AARP 1996). Yet, our society continues to build low-density, auto-oriented suburban communities that will make the accommodation of aging in place increasingly difficult (Calthorpe, 1993). Similarly, although multiple studies report that older Americans view traditional "medical model" nursing homes as a residence of last resort, too many such facilities continue to be built (Schwarz, 1997). Home safety is a major concern for older persons, however seldom appropriate modifications are made to facilitate independence and better quality of life for our elders.

Pay more attention to better environmental design in health care. The industry is growing very fast and more often we see new assisted living, group homes, or big beautiful retirement communities decorated like grand hotels but lacking in functionality for addressing the needs of our elders and caregivers, i.e., comfortable and safe arm chairs so our elders can achieve healthy posture and reach the floor with their feet.

Environmental gerontology (EG)— the relation between elderly persons and their sociospatial surroundings—has emerged as a subfield in its own right. When we encourage communities to develop, implement and practice Whole-Person-Centered Wellness programs, we also focus on the environment as our extended body acknowledging the meaningful interrelations of the environment and its effects our body, health, energy, communication, social relations, mental health, harmony and overall wellness. This is why we have chosen to visit the new Martha Stewart Center For Living that specializes in care for older adults, rehabilitation medicine and better quality of life for elders and their caregivers.

One of the most impressive programs at this location is disease prevention and integrative medicine for better longevity.

Stewart said she wanted the center to encourage older patients to "embrace a healthier lifestyle. We all want to live for many, many years but it's important to have a good quality of life, too."

WEL, World Elder Land congratulates Martha Stewart, Dr. Audrey Chun and their wonderful care team for designing, implementing and evaluating better ways to continue helping our dear elders and their caregivers... Bravo!!!

First Interdisciplinary Geriatrics and Gerontology Professional Development Conference For Elders and Caregivers - USA

Dr. Robert Muller, a magnificent elder, our keynote speaker, with his wife Barbara Muller, sharing his ideas about dreams, the importance of becoming healers of Earth and his views about "refirement" vs. "retirement. (Video presentation) Kathy J Ward presented three workshops at the conference; The Whole-Person-Centered Wellness program, Clinical Therapeutic Recreation For Elders and Listening Beyond Cultures and Challenges To Better Provide Health Care Services. Some of our participants

Surprise!!! A group of elders "Seniors On The Move" and their leader Toni Kruder showed us how to better our balance, motor coordination and daily aerobics. With their good energy, they put everyone to move showing that elders can inspire and stay fit while having fun!

Interdisciplinary Team Approach vs. Multidisciplinary Team Approach

Benefits of collaborative interdisciplinary teams delivering health care services:

• Facilitates team members to collaborate with health care providers across the continuum of services.
• Early recognition, better planning and implementation of rehabilitation medicine for better care.
• Opportunities to better the use of constructive feedback and objective observations. The practice of responsibility and accountability are also essential to collaborative interdisciplinary.
  
• Informed team decision making for complex care situations.
• Team members monitor each others performance, peer review, during care transitions improving assertiveness. Participating disciplines adequately contribute input to the selection, evaluation of findings, and identification of areas of improvement and planning. Effective listening is critical for better communication.
• Clinical competence means that the individual professional has demonstrated the technical skills and judgment to provide effective patient care.

By delivering whole-person-centered wellness care, the interdisciplinary team moves to the forefront facilitating better communication and services. Most of us strive for an interdisciplinary versus a multidisciplinary team, because we know such a team is more efficient.

In all our efforts to pull such a team together sometimes we forget one very important component: the patient. The development of common goals that are person-centered, not centered on individual team members or disciplines, but rather involving the patient in a team discussion and most important... listening to the patient and to each other, validates, positively reinforce everyone and evaluates team members as a whole more efficiently.

An effective interdisciplinary team has the ability to reduce health care costs and improve health and healing for patients and their caregivers. "Effective" means that the team has good communication, and works in an environment promoting openness, a culture of process improvement, creativity and true teamwork.

Suggestion: Create "The Good News Book" in your health care community. Promote this idea and encourage everyone to focus on the positive and better ways that everyone is able to do. This book provides a public way of passing along positive comments, good news and good energy to an individual or group, including comments from patients and families, and to communicate important team events, accomplishments and developments. Supervisors can use it to comment on the accomplishments of specific employees, volunteers or other community members. This book is often one of the first things turned to when people come to work. It is, indeed helpful in pulling a meaningful team together.

Example of multidisciplinary vs collaborative interdisciplinary team work

Concept of multidisciplinary team work

Concept of collaborative interdisciplinary team work

Dear Kathy and colleagues:

May God bless You and Your families, stay happy and healthy in coming New Year!

Regards, Anna
UNFPA/Armenia

          

I feel as though our work has it's own rewards as we continue to practice person centered service to others !
God Bless you in the coming year!

Peggy Connelly
Corporate Director Programs and Dementia Services, Florida, USA