Innovative care models across settings: Providing nursing care to older adults

Abstract

The aging demographic shift occurring world-wide is creating an opportunity for innovative care models to address the burgeoning care needs of the expanding population of older adults. Nursing and advanced practice nursing as well as interprofessional models past and present hold insights into how to meet the needs of older adults across the continuum of care. A review of past and present models of care is provided. These models across settings emphasize maximizing the role of nurses and advanced practice nurses. The models reviewed include: On LOK and Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE); Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE); Teaching Nursing Homes; Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT); Missouri Quality Initiative (MOQI); Evercare/Optum; Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders (NICHE); Acute Care for the Elderly Unit (ACE Unit); Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP); Age-Friendly Health Systems; and the Transitional Care Model. Each model emphasizes education on the special needs of older adults, providing easy access to evidence-based tools and interventions, as well as strong interprofessional collaboration. Sustainable evidence-based nursing and interprofessional innovations are present across health care settings from the community, long-term care and the acute care setting to address the complex needs of older adults.