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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Donna (Danuta) Clemmens, PhD RN, College of Nursing, New York University, 246 Greene Street, New York, NY 10003, 212-998-5288, dc70@nyu.edu and Juliette Shellman, PhD APRN, School of Nursing, University of Connecticut, 231 Glenbrook Road, Unit 2026, Storrs, CT 06269-2026.

This presentation will provide an overview of the Partners in Caring model that guides the CARELINK programs in New York City and Connecticut. CARELINK is a community-university partnership program that provides health assessment and teaching by student nurses to community-dwelling-elderly clients with chronic health conditions, and links them to health and social service organizations in the community. The Partners in Caring model includes three constructs that emphasize a target community's specific needs: knowledge of community, a culture of caring, and open communication systems. Specific emphasis will be placed on program interventions and patient outcomes that reflect these constructs in two cohorts of patients: the New York University-Visiting Nurse Service of New York cohort; and, the University of Connecticut-Visiting Nurse Agencies in Connecticut cohort. Patient outcomes include significant decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, decreased incidence of falls, decreased sense of isolation, and overall program satisfaction stressing the importance of the student nurse-patient relationship. Implications for community health planning and future research will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: Objectives

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to
• Describe the CARELINK program model components as applied to community-dwelling elderly.
• Identify four patient outcomes associated with CARELINK program interventions.
• Identify opportunities to apply the CARELINK model in their community setting.

Keywords: Chronic Illness, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No


Social Support and Caregiving

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA