The Department of Geriatrics and Long-term Care at HMC collaborates with the Hamad Institute for Healthcare Quality and the Institute for Healthcare Development. To implement an evidence-based approach designed to promote elderly-friendly care that takes into account their unique needs and desires. By implementing an elderly-friendly health system, the program aims to support a better quality of life for the elderly in the State of Qatar.
Various workshops were held with prominent members of the Department of Geriatrics and Long-term Care, as well as enabling experts from the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute and the Institute for Healthcare Development to develop the process of implementing an age-friendly health system at Hamad Medical Corporation. The transition to an age-friendly health system entails a set of four evidence-based components of reliable, high-quality care for older people in the health system, including: Aging Matters (recognizing specific care preferences for the elderly), Treatment (reviewing treatment fully from an age-friendly perspective), and Mental status (prevention, condition recognition, treatment and management of dementia, depression, delirium), movement (encouraging daily movement in the elderly to help maintain bodily functions). Dr. Abdullah Al Ansari, Chief Medical Officer at Hamad Medical Corporation, expressed his pleasure at seeing the significant progress made during the Age Friendly Health Systems Collaborative Meetings and said: "This evidence-based, practical approach will enhance the care provided to older patients in Qatar. The collaboration between the geriatrics team, quality improvement consultants and the Institute of Healthcare Development will enable Hamad Medical Corporation to disseminate knowledge about geriatric-friendly healthcare systems and build capacities and capabilities within the organization, and we will be happy to share our knowledge with others outside our organization.". For her part, Dr. Hanadi Al-Hamad, Leader of the Healthy Aging Program at the National Health Strategy and Head of the Geriatric and Long-term Care Department and Medical Director at Rumailah Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Center, said that this cooperation complements the extensive work that has been carried out to provide specialized, evidence-based health care to the population in the State of Qatar. She added: "It took a lot of effort to provide care that targets, includes and addresses the specific needs of elderly patients. The four elements provide a framework for us to build on the work we have done to date and allow us to embed the concepts of an age-friendly system across all HMC facilities. This work is in line with work carried out within the WHO Collaboration Center on Healthy Aging and Dementia which was established as a partnership between WHO and the Department of Geriatrics and Long-term Care at Hamad Medical Corporation. We are delighted to partner with Hamad Healthcare Development Institute and Institute of Healthcare Development experts who share resource tools and best practices that allow us to spread knowledge to a larger audience to support our efforts to provide the best possible care for the elderly in Qatar.". For his part, Mr. Nasser Al Nuaimi, Vice President of the Quality Sector and Director of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute and the Center for Patient and Employee Experience and Participation, said that collaborative health systems for the elderly provide a framework of practices that are based on scientific evidence that can be implemented by health care systems that want to provide Better care for the population group most at risk. He added: Our goal is to enhance patient safety and keep pace with the care we provide for adults that are important to them, their families and their caregivers. We have multiple programs of work that support this goal. The cooperative health systems for the elderly is one of the methods that are in line with the cooperative work that has been developing for several years. To recognize the unique needs of elderly patients, the collaborative pathway also works to keep pace with providing the right care in the right place and time.
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