Geriatrics and Extended Care Service

Miami VA Healthcare System

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Program Mission

The mission of Geriatrics & Extended Care is to provide quality patient care utilizing an interdisciplinary approach.

Specialties and Program Description

• Intermediate Care - Provides intermediate or continuing medical care to patients whose treatment for the acute phases of illness has been completed, but continues to require treatment in the hospital.
  
• Nursing Home Care Program - Provides a home-like environment to veterans during their stay. The Nursing Home Care Unit specializes in care for patients who are at maximum hospital benefit and have restorative potential, but still need skilled nursing care, supportive personal care, and individual adjustment services.
  
• Home Based Primary Care Program - Provides primary health care in the home through a hospital based interdisciplinary team to homebound, and often bedridden, eligible veterans whose caregivers are willing and able to assist in their care.
  
• Adult Day Health Care Program - Enables those frail elderly veterans with significant functional impairments to reside in a supportive community environment while receiving health and psychosocial care services. The Adult Day Health Care Program provides services which restore and maintain functional capacity, improve the quality of like, provide support for the patient's caregivers, as well as providing a resource for education in a daytime congregate setting.
  
• Geriatric Primary Care Program - Provides high quality primary care that is specialized and designed to assess evaluate and establish a comprehensive plan of care for the elderly patient on an outpatient basis.
  
• Respite Care Program - Provides medical center or nursing home care that is of limited duration. It is care which is being provided to a veteran who is suffering from a chronic illness and who resides primarily at home and is designed to support the caregiver's role in caring for the chronically ill veteran at home. This care will not exceed 14 days, and is permitted twice annually.
  
• End of Life Care Program - Provides compassionate and humane care to patients and their families with advanced progressive diseases, which may be life threatening or terminal. End of life care focuses on the relief of suffering and optimizes quality of life through our Palliative Care and Hospice Programs.
  
• T-CARE Program - An urban, care coordination project utilizing technology and a team approach to assist in coordinating the care of elderly veterans at risk for hospitalization and emergency room visits. The program uses technology to monitor certain chronic health conditions in the home.
  
• TLC for Dementia Care Program - This program utilizes technology and a team effort to coordinate care for veterans' with dementia. The program uses technology to educate and support caregivers of veterans with dementia in the home. The program goal is to reduce resource utilization (ER visits, hospitalizations) and delay onset of long term care placement.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact the Geriatrics & Extended Care Service at (305) 575-3204.

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