Rome community gathers for “Changes in Aging” event.

On Nov. 8 over 50 attended Mercy Care’s community event on aging to hear nursing and psychology experts from Berry College and a Berry College graduate now with a Ph.D. in adult development and aging share insights in providing the right care for each individual, the impact of life stories for those with memory loss, and ways to extend lifespan and quality of life.

“Over the next 10 or so years, the last of the baby boomers turn 65,” said Liz Molina, executive director of Mercy Care Rome. “At a time when our overall population is declining, the number of people age 65 or older is expected to grow to 64 million. Many seniors and their caregivers will need specialized healthcare services and support.” Census data from 2010 shows 25% of adults 65 or older lived in rural areas.

Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing at Berry, Tanya Naguszewski, Ph.D, advocated for person-centered care; keeping the

patient at the center of everything you do with and for them; and taking time to understand each individual’s needs and wishes.

“Our nursing school students consider the legal and ethical implications of caring for elderly persons as well as their role in maintaining dignity for them,” Naguszewski said. Berry nursing students routinely intern or volunteer at Mercy Care for exposure to the needs of older people with physical challenges and/or various types of dementia. Mercy Care provides Adult Day Health with medical monitoring, medication management, healthy meals and transportation as well as programs like Music and Memory that exercise the body, brain and spirit.

“I teach a lifespan development class; birth to end of life,” said Assistant Professor of Psychology Casey Dexter. “I needed to find a hook for students; a way to teach them empathy and a desire to better understand the aging process. What developed was a bi-annual class project to record and share the life stories of those in Adult Day Health at Mercy Care underlining how storytelling and cross-generational interaction serve as a socio-cognitive therapy for those struggling with memory loss.”

This past year, 40 students participated in the project, creating 18 individual life story books. “Ultimately, these projects benefit more than just the patient,” said Dexter. Students reflected on the project as adding dimension to their study of psychology and healthcare, as well as greater empathy for what the aging clients are going through.

“Getting to talk to someone about their experiences makes what we’re learning whole,” said Callie Whitesell, a junior at Berry who took the course last year. “And on the flip side, it’s great for the people we interviewed to go through their life again, build satisfaction from reflection, and walk away with their life story book.” Whitesell plans to pursue occupational therapy and continues cultivating her interest in the aging population through an ongoing internship at Mercy Care. According to Molina, one son of a patient requested extra copies of the book, a precious thing for his family to have.

“We don’t listen enough,” Dexter concluded. “This century is going to be the age of unlocking the brain. It’s going to give us tremendous insight into healthy aging. And if we’re going to understand aging or understand somebody from a different perspective or generation, hearing people’s stories is the first step to that.”

Introduction of key note speaker Aaron Ogletree, Ph.D., by Molina and Rita Lawler, former executive director of Mercy Care Rome, was tearful as they talked of Ogletree coming to them in the fall of 2009 as a Bonner Scholar at Berry. “He came to us as a student and returns as our teacher,” Lawler said.

Now a health policy researcher at the American Institutes for Research, Ogletree spoke of his time at Mercy Care and how it shaped him and his career. “You have a diamond here. In my work as a gerontologist, I was fortunate to start here. I still believe Mercy Care to be the best example of Adult Day Health I’ve ever seen,” said Ogletree.

From his research, Ogletree compared facilities and models across the United States

noting, “Mercy Care is different than others; in its quality of health for seniors, especially those with Alzheimer’s and dementia onset.” The greatest factors to good healthcare for the elderly, he said, are new social relationships and consistent medical access. “Mercy Care provides transportation reducing barriers to care and gives caregivers at home providing care around the clock the breaks they need to keep their own health from deteriorating.”

“Adult Day Health also has a central role in cost effective care,” Ogletree said. “In 2014, the average annual cost of a home health aide was $45,000; a nursing facility was $87,000. The average annual cost of Adult Day Health was $16,000. This has major implications for families and caregivers.

According to Thelma House who cared for her husband until he passed away, she wished she would have used Mercy Care more for her benefit and her husbands. She had struggled with the cost, but says, “within just one week of coming to Mercy Care, I could tell a complete turn-around in him.”

“I really messed up by taking him out of day care. I could have kept him at home a whole lot longer. He would’ve done better and I would’ve done better if I had used the program to its fullest,” House said. “The other side of the coin is the relationship I had with Mercy Care. If I was having a bad moment, Liz (Molina) knew it. She had an open door policy, I could walk in there and she’d close the door and it was like getting an individual therapist.”

About Mercy Care Rome

Mercy Care has been meeting the needs of families in Rome since 1990. 100% of patients report increased happiness after coming to Mercy Care, and 100% of family members would refer family or friend. Services include:

• Adult Day Health, which helps those who need care during the day in order to remain living at home or with family. Directed by registered nurses, staff provides comprehensive services including transportation, two nutritious meals, health education, social and recreational activities, and transportation to medical appointments.
• Grands Who Care provides support for grandparents and relatives who are raising children or individuals caring for a disabled child. Support services include health management, informal counseling, referrals to other services, mentoring, support groups and recreational activities.
• Caregiver Support includes luncheon seminars that offer encouragement, education and connections to community resources for families providing care for their loved ones.
• Senior Employment helps those seniors in need of income entering or re-entering the work force. Services include help with resumes, job search and interview skills as well as connections to non-profit work settings, such as senior centers or Goodwill, where temporary employment provides needed income and can lead to permanent employment.