Links
Below are links to other organizations with an interest in home care quality, geriatrics, improvement, or teambuilding.
Accreditation
Associations
Consumer
Government
Nurses
Quality Improvement
Research
Accreditation
Community Health Accreditation Program
The Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) is an independent, non-profit accrediting body which provides consultation on improving the quality of community based health care services, along with a broad network of professional staff resources.
The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission works to improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations.
Associations
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America's (AFA) web site includes information about Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, caregiving strategies and behavioral issues, as well as daily news about Alzheimer's disease, and links to AFA member organizations and AFA divisions.
American Academy of Home Care Physicians
The American Academy of Home Care Physicians works to serve the needs of physicians and related professionals and agencies interested in improving care of patients in the home.
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) works to offer not-for-profit aging-services providers the information and support they need to create the future of aging services. AAHSA provides information and resources on legislative, operational, and legal issues and opportunities affecting aging-services providers.
American Health Quality Association
The American Health Quality Association represents Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and professionals working to improve the quality of health care in communities across America.
American Geriatrics Society
The American Geriatrics Society is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. AGS provides support through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research, and public policy.
Web Edition of Geriatrics At Your Fingertips™
The American Geriatrics Society's Geriatrics At Your Fingertips web site is a free online guide to the evaluation and management of geriatric diseases and disorders. It includes a variety of assessment tools and algorithms, specific information on drug interactions and adverse events, and useful telephone numbers and web sites.
American Society on Aging
The American Society on Aging provides resources, publications, and educational opportunities to enhance the knowledge and skills of people working with older adults and their families.
Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs
The Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs facilitates the development of leadership skills among academic geriatricians and provides an ongoing forum for Program Directors and leaders in academic geriatrics to discuss the wide variety of issues that they encounter.
Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association
The Gerontological Health Section of the APHA works to improve the health, functioning, and quality of life of older people and to bring public attention to their unmet health and long term care needs through research and advocacy aimed at reforming governmental health care programs.
Gerontological Society of America
The Gerontological Society of America works to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public.
National Family Caregivers Association
The National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers and speaks up for those who care for loved ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age. NFCA offers a virtual library of information and educational materials.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization represents hospice and palliative care programs and professionals. NHPCO develops educational programs and materials; convenes meetings and symposia; provides technical informational resources; conducts research; and monitors regulatory activities.
(New!) National Transitions Of Care Coalition (NTOCC)
The NTOCC web site provides information to help healthcare professionals understand how poor transitions impact care delivery and how they can help improve transitions in their setting.
Consumer
AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50 and over improve the quality of their lives by serving as the premiere information source. AARP's site includes an extensive policy and research section for professionals in aging.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Their web site provides information on the latest Alzheimer care strategies, research findings and advocacy initiatives; as well as providing updates on programs, partners and events.
Ask Medicare Initiative
A web-based forum for the sharing of information for caregivers, partners, and the health care community. Includes: Medicare's Planning for Your Discharge: A comprehensive guide for patients and caregivers preparing to leave a hospital, nursing home, or other health care setting.
Caring Connections
Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer and community engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life. It provides free resources and information to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Family Caregiver Alliance offers programs to support and sustain the important work of families and friends caring for loved ones with chronic, disabling health conditions. FCA's web site provides a wealth of caregiving advice, resource listings, newsletters, fact sheets, research reports, policy updates and discussion groups.
National Council on Patient Information and Education
The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) works to advance the safe, appropriate use of medicines through enhanced communication. Their web site provides helpful resources, many focused on the senior population, for both consumers and healthcare professionals to support safe medicine use.
National PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) Association
The National PACE Association's web site offers numerous resources and tools for registerd providers to understand the PACE model, assess their organization’s commitment and capacity, assess their community’s needs, and move forward with development or expansion of a PACE program.
National Sleep Foundation
The National Sleep Foundation provides information and advice to help the public better understand the importance of sleep and the benefits of good sleep habits, and recognizing the signs of sleep problems so that they can be properly diagnosed and treated.
Next Step in Care
Next Step in Care provides information and advice to help family caregivers and health care providers plan safe and smooth transitions between care settings for patients. It is supported by a United Hospital Fund Campaign.
PalliativeDoctors.org
PalliativeDoctors.org was developed by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine to help families and patients understand the facts about, and benefits of, hospice and palliative care. This site includes patient stories, caregiver tips, as well as resources to help patients receive quality care.
Government
Administration on Aging
The Administration on Aging works to develop a system of health and long-term care that helps elderly individuals maintain their independence and dignity in their homes and communities. Their web site offers resources for aging professionals and others, including a searchable database of materials by AoA grantees; information to help increase access to, and improve programs for, older minority Americans; and listings of Federal web sites that offer valuable information.
National Institute on Aging/ National Institutes of Health
The National Institute of Aging leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. The NIA provides leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people.
National Quality Measures Clearinghouse
The National Quality Measures Clearinghouse™ (NQMC) is a database and web site for information on specific evidence-based health care quality measures and measure sets to promote widespread access to quality measures by the health care community and other interested individuals.
Nurses
American Society for Pain Management Nursing
The American Society for Pain Management Nursing works to advance and promote optimal nursing care for people affected by pain by promoting best nursing practice. This is accomplished through education, standards, advocacy, and research.
The Center for Integrative Science in Aging (CISA) /Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence
The Center for Integrative Science in Aging's web site provides Gero T.I.P.S. (Teach Innovative Practical Solutions) - a free, web-based learning environment that has been developed for nurses and other healthcare practitioners who want to stay informed about innovative developments in the field of gerontological nursing.
Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association
The Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association works to advocate quality care for older adults; promote professional development; provide continuing gerontological education; enhance communication and professional collaboration among healthcare providers; and educate consumers regarding issues of aging.
Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing works to shape the quality of health care for older Americans by promoting geriatric nursing excellence to the nursing profession and to the larger health care community. Their web site contains resources and links to all products developed by the Institute in the areas of Education, Practice, Research, and Policy.
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association provides resources and support for advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing assistants who care for people with life-limiting and terminal illness.
National Gerontological Nursing Association
The National Gerontological Nursing Association offers its members tools and resources to improve the quality of nursing care for older adults.
(New!) The Practice Change Fellows Program
The Practice Change Fellows Program (supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John A. Hartford Foundation) is a two year opportunity for nurses, physicians, and social workers to develop leadership skills and content expertise in order to positively influence care for older adults.
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Society (WOCN)
The WOCN Society is a professional nursing society of more than 4,600 healthcare professionals who are experts in the care of patients with wounds, ostomy and incontinence. Their web site features education resources developed and researched by leaders in the field of WOC care.
Quality Improvement
Guided Care
Guided Care is a model of comprehensive health care by physician-nurse teams for people with several chronic health conditions, specifically focusing on the 25% of Medicare patients at highest risk for using health services heavily.
H2H National Quality Improvement Initiative
This national quality initiative, co-sponsored by the American College of Cardiology and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is an effort to improve the transition from inpatient to outpatient care for individuals hospitalized with cardiovascular disease.
IHI STAAR Initiative
The State Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations (STAAR) initiative aims to reduce rehospitalizations by working across organizational boundaries in three states, initially — Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington — and by engaging payers, state and national stakeholders, patients and families, and caregivers at multiple care sites and clinical interfaces.
The Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign
The Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign is a grassroots movement designed to unite home health stakeholders and multiple health care settings under the shared vision of reducing avoidable hospitalizations and improving medication management.
Medicare Quality Improvement Community
The Medicare Quality Improvement Community (MedQIC) Web site is a free on-line resource for quality improvement interventions and associated tools, toolkits, presentations, and links to other resources.
National Chronic Care Consortium
The National Chronic Care Consortium provides access to advanced knowledge for professionals serving people with multiple, complex chronic conditions; offers tools and methods for addressing numerous aspects of integration of care; and provides a framework, strategies, and sample policy specifications for reforming barriers to quality, cost-effective care.
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute works to improve the lives of people who need home or residential care—by improving the lives of the workers who provide that care.
Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older Adults through Safe Transitions)
The Project BOOST section of the Society of Hospital Medicine website provides resources for improving hospital discharge, including screening/assessment tools, discharge checklist, transition record, teach-back process, risk-specific interventions and written discharge instructions.
Social Work Leadership Institute
The Social Work Leadership Institute is working to train and grow the national workforce of social workers who specialize in aging and to improve long-term, community-based care for older adults through advocacy, education and training, leadership development, and research.
VNAA Chronic Care Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse provides information about chronic care management models and best practices for diabetes and heart failure, designed specifically for homecare patients.
Research
Academy Health
Academy Health works to improve the knowledge base of health care decision-making by supporting the professional development of those who conduct and use health services research, advocating for the tools and funding necessary to do this important work, and helping to translate HSR findings into policy and practice.
Alliance for Aging Research
The Alliance for Aging Research is the nation's leading citizen advocacy organization for improving the health and independence of Americans as they age. AAR works to develop, implement and advocate programs in research, professional and consumer health education and public policy.
American Federation for Aging Research
American Federation for Aging Research has supported the science of healthier aging and played a major role in providing and advancing knowledge of aging and mechanisms of age-related disease.
Center for Interdisciplinary Geriatric Research
The Center for Interdisciplinary Geriatric Research works to promote interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers in the development, testing, and dissemination of health-enhancing interventions for older adults.
GRACE (Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders)
The Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) model of primary care for low-income seniors was developed to improve the quality of geriatric care to optimize health and functional status, decrease excess healthcare use, and prevent long-term nursing home placement.
Institute for Geriatric Social Work
The Institute for Geriatric Social Work is dedicated to strengthening the workforce for an aging society through educational innovation, workforce change, and research.
Institute for the Future of Aging Services
The Institute for the Future of Aging Services is an independent research organization dedicated to bridging the worlds of policy, practice and research to advance the development and diffusion of high-quality aging and long-term care services and supports.
Institute on Aging Research Center
The Institute on Aging Research Center links the research, clinical, and health service experts of the Institute on Aging and the University of California, San Francisco. Research studies at the Center focus on issues of importance to the health and well-being of elders, and seek to develop interventions that enhance independence and functional ability.
National Resource Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity & Aging
The National Resource Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity & Aging aims to promote active healthy aging by working to reduce nutrition risk among older adults.
Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge)
Project Re-Engineered Discharge is a series of randomized controlled rrials at Boston University Medical Center aimed at improving patient safety by recreating the process by which patients leave the hospital.
RAND Center for the Study of Aging
The RAND Center for the Study of Aging conducts objective, independent, behavioral research on the elderly population. The Center's interdisciplinary research staff aims to help improve public policy through both primary data collection and secondary data analysis.
Disclaimer/Permissions: All resources posted on the CHAMP web site are provided free of charge for educational, non-profit use only. Necessary permissions have been obtained for any copyrighted materials. Links to resources outside of the CHAMP web site are subject to the host site's policies. Please note that not all resources are specific to home care and they are not intended to replace or substitute professional medical advice regarding the needs of individual patients.