LITTLE ROCK -- The Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a three-year grant of $2.3 million, a news release said.
Since 1997, a similar collaborative has provided geriatric training for health care professionals. But this new funding will add training for lay caregivers and first responders in addition to health care professionals and students.
"We were awestruck and grateful that we were awarded this grant," said Ronni Chernoff, a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine's department of geriatrics who leads the collaborative.
Chernoff said the collaborative will work with partners at state universities, as well as at the UAMS Centers on Aging across Arkansas. The centers are a part of the Arkansas Aging Initiative, a program of the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.
In addition to the needs and demand in rural Arkansas, there are new legal requirements. The Arkansas Lay Caregivers Act that was passed this year aims to ease transitions from hospital to home for patients and their caregivers. Under the new law, hospitals will consult with caregivers designated by patients before they are discharged from the hospital on needed care.
NW News on 09/03/2015