Nurse practitioner students from the College of Nursing had the unique educational opportunity to learn best practices in caring for aging patients from experts from the Orlando VA Medical Center.<\/p>\n
At the 3rd annual VA\/UCF Interdisciplinary Geriatric Seminar, held on Saturday, Sept. 10, five\u00a0gerontology experts from the Orlando VA Medical Center donated their time to share their successful multidisciplinary approach to managing the social, psychological, cognitive and biological aspects of aging. This team approach, which is considered a best practice but rarely implemented in the U.S., not only manages chronic conditions but also supports functional abilities of older patients. The VA interdisciplinary care team includes gerontology physicians, palliative care physicians, psychology nurse practitioner, pharmacist and wound care specialist.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking a multidisciplinary approach to provide care for the elderly patient as a whole, instead of individual conditions, is incredibly valuable in helping older patients age successfully,\u201d said Dr. Adam Golden, associate chief of staff, geriatrics and extended care at the Orlando VA Medical Center and one of the seminar\u2019s speakers. \u201cThis partnership between the VA and UCF allows us the opportunity to educate future care providers on the right approach to caring for their elderly patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s seminar stressed the importance of a team approach to geriatric care, while each member of the VA\u2019s care team shared best practices from their area of expertise. Topics included transitional care for older adults, wound management in geriatric populations, health and wellness interventions, diet and genes, preventing a prescription cascade, and geriatric mental health issues of dementia, depression and delirium. The experts from the Orlando VA Medical Center who presented were:<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Florida is home to a disproportionate number of elderly, many of whom are also veterans, it is certain that our nurse practitioner graduates will be caring for elderly patients across the state,\u201d said Angela Ritten, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC, assistant professor and one of the coordinators for the seminar. \u201cFurthermore, health care is shifting from providing care as individual providers to working together as interdisciplinary teams. By providing seminars such as these, our students can learn first-hand how an organization like the VA is implementing the best practice of interdisciplinary care to later incorporate in their own practice to provide the best, optimal patient care.\u201d<\/p>\n