Health centers to be established for elderly within hospitals

ANKARA

A project has been prepared upon the request of the Health Ministry to establish health centers for the elderly within hospitals, which will enable them to be treated at the nearest location.

The project will focus on 650,000 people over the age of 85 in the first phase, and this age will be reduced to 75 in 2023 and then to 65, Özgür Kara, an associate professor from Kırıkkale University, told daily Milliyet.

“It was developed in a bid to provide convenience to elderly patients who go from door to door in hospitals with their companions,” Kara said.

Stressing that examples from abroad have been examined, and it is being planned to use healthy life centers, community health centers and family health centers more effectively in the first stage instead of establishing separate institutions, Kara said, “We don’t want an alternative system, but an integrated one.”

The Elderly Health and Monitoring Centers (YAŞATEM) will be established within the hospitals, he added.

Pointing out that the centers will be in coordination with the health service units, Kara said geriatrics specialists will head the centers. “Multidisciplinary teams, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, family physicians, nurses and personnel to transfer the patients will also work at the centers.”

In the first stage, teams consisting of elderly care nurses, who will be trained by geriatricians, will be formed in 226 healthy life centers and community health centers.

Stating that the elderly patients are divided into two as “dependent” and “independent” patients, Kara said, “We refer to the ‘dependent patient’ as someone who is bedridden or who needs someone’s help while eating, going to the toilet, dressing and other basic daily life activities.”

Nurses will check the “independent” elderly at home every three months, from memory tests to nutrition and from physical performance to other tests, with prepared training models.

“We will give the nurses a tablet with the system modules loaded. When necessary, the nurses would provide information flow to the system via the tablet, and we will bring that patient to the hospital and provide outpatient or inpatient treatment,” Kara said.

The centers will contact social workers and the Family and Social Policies Ministry if nurses notify an elderly patient who lives alone and needs care. “Our patient will be provided with economic, financial and food support. We will not leave them helpless and take them to the hospital if necessary.”

The “transfer personnel” will accompany the patient in all procedures to be carried out within the hospital, Kara added.

The project will be presented to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Oct. 17.

Emphasizing that the project will not have a pilot scheme and that it is requested to be directly implemented on the field, Kara said if Koca approves, the project will be presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The project will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2023, if approved by the president.