19^th Annual Selenia E. & Joseph C. Valley, Sr. Conference: Is Houston Elder Friendly?
 

"Is Houston Elder Friendly? Planning for the Future"

This question served as the focus of the 19th Annual Selenia E. and Joseph C. Valley, Sr. Conference held on September 16, 2005 at the University of Houston Hilton Hotel. The Houston Community was invited to plan for an elder friendly community focused on improving our elders’ well-being and identifying programs and services needed in the community. The conference is sponsored by the Selenia E. and Joseph C. Valley, Sr. Memorial Trust Fund for Gerontological Nursing. The trust was established in 1986, in honor of Mr. Valley, to help improve nursing care of the elderly through education and clinical training. Each year the conference is devoted to providing public and professional education to those who care for the older adult population.

The Harris County Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program assists
with the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
 

In response to the many older and frail evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita arriving in the Houston and Harris County areas, the Ombudsman Program housed at the UT School of Nursing-Houston Center on Aging has been working collaboratively with service providers in the area. Prior to the arrival of the first evacuees of Katrina at the Astrodome and the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB), the local Ombudsman Program was in contact with the Texas State Ombudsman identifying the potential needs and services available for arriving evacuees.

Collaboration and coordination among service providers have been essential to the success of the response efforts. The Ombudsman Program was involved in an innovative outreach program headed by Dr. Carmel Dyer of Baylor College of Medicine and the Harris County Hospital District. Upon learning that some of the evacuees arriving at the shelters were being housed at the Reliant Complex and the GRB, Dr. Dyer brought together many area service providers to move frail seniors to a more suitable environment. This was accomplished by recruitment, scheduling and training in the use of a screening tool to triage elderly evacuees - Download Screening Tool.

Evacuees who did not need a complete assessment but had questions about certain services were advised as well. The Ombudsman Program along with the Harris County Area Agency on Aging (AAA), was able to answer questions from older evacuees and their caregivers about services in the area. Both entities were at the Reliant Center Complex and the GRB to provide needed assistance. Evacuees needed help with issues such as finding healthcare services and locating long-term care facilities in the area. Referrals were made to local agencies that could best meet their needs.

Although some evacuees arrived at area shelters, others were transferred directly from the facilities they had been living in prior to the hurricanes to nursing homes throughout Harris County. As soon as they began arriving, local ombudsmen visited them and welcomed them to the area. Their names were given to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the local AAA, and the Louisiana Ombudsmen as part of a larger database.

The Ombudsman Program was one of many local agencies serving seniors that recognized the needs of older evacuees and worked collaboratively to address them. Today many older adults and their families who arrived in Houston weeks ago are settling into the area and calling Houston home. The Ombudsman Program will continue to assist evacuees and address their issues as long as their services are needed.

Carmen Castro, MS, CHES

The COA Shares Knowledge
 

publications

Horn, S.D., Buerhaus, P., Bergstrom, N. & Smout, R.J. (November, 2005). RN staffing time and outcomes of long-stay nursing home residents. American Journal of Nursing, 105:11:58-70.

Bergstrom, N., Horn, S.D., Smout, R.J., Bender, S.A., Ferguson, M.L., Taler, G., et al. (2005). The national pressure ulcer long-term care study (NPULS): Outcomes of pressure ulcer treatments in long term care. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; 53:1721-29.

Bergstrom, N. (2005). “Patients at risk for pressure ulcers and evidence-based care for pressure ulcer prevention.” In Bader, Dan L., Bouten, Carlijn V.C., Colin, Denis, Oomens, Cees W.J. (Eds.), Pressure Ulcer Research. Current and Future Perspectives. Berlin: Springer Verlang.

Bergstrom, N. (2005). Litigation or redesign: Improving pressure ulcer prevention. (Invited Editorial). Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53:1627-1629.

Presentations

Ostwald, S.K., Coutinho, F. “Recovering from Stroke: The Journey Together.” Presented at the NGNA Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC, 10/05.

Robinson-Whelen, S., Swank, P., Ostwald, S.K. “Examining Correlates of Burden and Depression in Spousal Caregivers of Stroke Survivors.” Presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Orlando, FL, Nov, 2005.

Coutinho, F., Ostwald, S.K. “Adaptation: The Caregiver’s Experience During the First Year After a Stroke.” Presented at the Texas Occupational Therapy Association Conference, November 13, 2005.

Awards

Gerontological Professional of the Year Award: Nancy Wilson, MSW
Nancy Wilson with Dean Starck of the School of Nursing	Nancy Wilson, a professional social worker who has specialized in gerontology, received the Gerontological Professional of the Year Award. Ms. Wilson is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine-Section of Geriatrics, Assistant Director of the Huffington Center on Aging, and Assistant Professor, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine.
Community Advocate Award: Earl B. Loggins
A native Houstonian, Earl Loggins, received the Community Advocate Award. Mr. Loggins has been a truly outstanding contributor to the community for many years and has received numerous prestigious awards from civic organizations for his outstanding devotion and work on behalf of the city he loves, Houston.	Earl Loggins with Amina Valley and Torrian Valley

Director's Corner
 

This has been a quarter filled with challenges and triumphs. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and brought tens of thousands of people, including the elderly, to Houston. Our Ombudsman Program played an active role in assisting the Area Agency on Aging and others in the evaluation and placement of seniors. We recognize: Dr. Diane Persson, Carmen Castro, Ayse Tobey and Kendall Green for their dedicated service at the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Astrodome.

We had a very successful and energizing Valley Conference where we considered “An Elder Friendly Houston.” This conference was successful because of a wonderful planning committee and the Board of Directors of the Valley Fund. The following individuals deserve special recognition: Dr. Vaunette Fay, Richard Elbein, Ellen McDonald, Jo Westphal, Joyce Randolf, Amina Valley, Torrian Valley, Barbara Booth, and Vicki Chamness.

We ended the month of September with Hurricane Rita presenting new challenges. We discuss bioterrorism, but now know we need to be prepared for natural disasters as well. The article by Carmen Castro highlights the role the COA has had in preparedness planning. We, in the Center on Aging, are privileged to be able to serve the Houston Community!

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