Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol Counties: helping seniors ‘age in place’
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| At the ribbon cutting for the wellness kiosk are (l to r) Bruce Walsh, treasurer, VNS board of directors; Jean Anderson, CEO, Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol Counties; Michelle Duga, executive director, Edward King House; and Ann Gardella, president, King House board of directors. | Stroke is often referred to as “the silent killer” because individuals can be symptom-free, yet with little warning, can be stricken. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
So it could have been for Mabel,* a 90-year-old woman who was very active at the Middletown Senior Center. She was at the center the day a Telehealth and Wellness Kiosk debuted there last year.
At the kiosk, where blood pressure, weight, and heart rate are checked and the results transmitted electronically to the wellness nurse at Visiting Nurse Services (VNS) of Newport and Bristol Counties, Mabel’s blood pressure was found to be dangerously high. With VNS intervention, Mabel found a new doctor, her previous one having retired, and was put on the appropriate medication.
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| Rita Kern, a member of the Edward King House, listens intently as Susan Dugan, RN, special projects manager for the VNS, explains the procedure for obtaining a blood pressure reading. |
“We absolutely saved a life,” said Susan Dugan, special projects manager for VNS, at the June 1, 2011 ribbon cutting ceremony for a second Telehealth and Wellness Kiosk, this one at the Edward King House Senior Center in Newport.
Michelle Duga, executive director of the Edward King House, stated that the collaboration of the senior center and VNS is “a perfect marriage of services” with this latest project enabling seniors “to take charge of their own health.”
Noting that the VNS has used the telehealth wellness program in clients’ homes for the past nine years, Jean Anderson, chief executive officer for VNS, told the seniors and guests at the ribbon cutting, “This helps bring our vision forward, thanks to the support of the Newport County Fund of The Rhode Island Foundation."
It wasn’t just the organization’s vision that was brought forward that day, but also the many seniors who stepped forward to register for the new program that focuses on prevention and self-management of health.
“The goal is for the seniors to self-manage their health in the community where they want to be,” Susan continues, noting, “They start to notice trends and can see how diet or exercise impacts their vital signs.”
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| VNS Nurse JoAnne Burns, RN, and Edward King House member Hugo DeAscentis listen as the equipment "talks" them through the process. | Each Edward King House member who signs up for the program receives an individual identification card, which they swipe through the machine each time they use the telehealth equipment. Although nurses aided members following the ribbon cutting, the process is designed for seniors to do independently, with the machine “talking” them through the process, telling them to stand on the scale to have their weight measured, followed by easy instructions for the blood pressure cuff and finger pulse oximeter. The entire process takes just three minutes, and results are transmitted automatically to the wellness nurse at Visiting Nurse Services. A nurse there contacts the senior directly if readings are outside normal limits.
The Newport County Fund’s support of the telehealth wellness program is through an inaugural grant of the Fund’s Common Ground Grants program, an initiative that “promotes regional collaboration by encouraging organizations to identify common ground in meeting the diverse needs of Newport County.”
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The new telehealth equipment at the Edward King House helps seniors to self-manage their health. | The telehealth wellness program is just one project that will be undertaken with the $30,000 Common Ground Grant to the Visiting Nurse Services. “Aging in Place: Coordinating Community Based Healthcare for Seniors in Newport” focuses on producing a comprehensive public health community assessment and report related to elder healthcare in Newport and on linking more individuals to primary care and specialty services. VNS’ partners for the grant, in addition to the Edward King House, are Child & Family, Newport Housing Authority, the Newport Partnership for Families, and the Newport Chamber of Commerce.
The collaborators all have partnered with VNS on other projects. VNS and Edward King Center work together through many VNS programs that are offered at the Edward King Center, including a diabetes outpatient education program, fall prevention education, adult health clinics, and flu clinics.
Joyce Botelho, philanthropy officer for the Newport County Fund, notes, “This grant, one of just five Common Ground grants awarded last fall, is an excellent example of a creative collaboration that will have a significant impact in the local community.”
* Name has been changed to protect her privacy.
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