Project
AgeWell is a peer-to-peer care model designed to improve well-being and promote health outcomes among senior community dwelling adults. AgeWell employs able seniors, called AgeWells, to visit less able seniors in their homes to: (1) Reduce isolation and loneliness (2) Identify evolving health problems (3) Connect seniors to appropriate primary care providers, social services and community resources.
AgeWell’s patient-centric, care management approach aspires to effectively link clients to their primary care providers, driving down health care costs by reducing preventable emergency room visits, hospital admissions and readmissions. The model combines best practices of several care coordination models. Employing able older adults (55+) as AgeWell companions, providing social engagement through home visits and deploying a mobile-phone based health screening tool and referral algorithms used by visiting AgeWell companions to identify and address evolving health and social problems before they escalate.
The AgeWell core program staff consists of one Site Coordinator and two Care Coordinators 12 AgeWell peer companions have been identified and trained in the use of mobile technology to conduct regular client health screenings in the home and sensitised to providing quality companionship services. They will work with 74 community dwelling elders (60 years and over) residing in Limerick City.
As every community is different, it is vital to gain in-depth understandings as to how the AgeWell model can best operate across a variety of contexts. Qualitative inquiry in the past has shown a richness in the depth of stories and experiences gained from participating in a programme such as AgeWell and the organisation hopes to continue this documentation and evaluation process as it expands to different countries and communities. Student involvement in exploring the impact of this programme on clients, peer supporters and other stakeholders in the Limerick context will provide rich learnings from programmatic improvement and to help generate interest in scaling up the AgeWell model to other communities in Ireland.
Learning
AgeWell is a peer-to-peer care model designed to improve well-being and promote health outcomes among senior community dwelling adults. AgeWell employs able seniors, called AgeWells, to visit less able seniors in their homes to: (1) Reduce isolation and loneliness (2) Identify evolving health problems(3) onnect seniors to appropriate primary care providers, social services and community resources. AgeWell peer companions have been identified and trained in the use of mobile technology to conduct regular client health screenings in the home and sensitised to providing quality companionship services. 10 of the pre-service candidates were selected to become AgeWell peer companions, commencing home visitations in February of 2017. Students will work with the AgeWell programme staff to collate the experiences of the AgeWell peer companions.
This project will provide an opportunity for you to learn about the experiences of AgeWell companions, the skills and training that underpin this roll and how that information can inform future training workshops. You will also learn about the needs of older people living in the community. As such you will engage in both independent as well as collaborative learning. You will learn from one another to reach creative solutions to practical problems. The module is designed to enable students to develop the capacity to apply curriculum-based knowledge in a real-world setting and self-assess and develop graduate attributes to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team in collaboration with external community stake-holders. Submission of reflective journals will allow you to reflect on your learning and to identify any difficulties encountered in conducting your project. Presentations will allow you to practice and refine your communication skills.
You will work collaboratively with a community co coordinator from the AgeWell programme, AgeWell peer companions /individual and your peers.
Both formative and summative assessment methods will be used. Assessments will be designed to complement the interactive teaching and learning approaches. In particular, methods conducive to workplace assessment will be employed. These will include reflection diaries, a group presentation, a reflective assignment and self-assessment activity.