{"id":880,"date":"2015-12-21T15:45:14","date_gmt":"2015-12-21T20:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/?p=880"},"modified":"2016-03-24T17:02:34","modified_gmt":"2016-03-24T21:02:34","slug":"what-does-it-mean-when-we-talk-about-person-centered-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/what-does-it-mean-when-we-talk-about-person-centered-care\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does it Mean When We Talk About \u201cPerson-Centered Care\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nancy<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dr-Bruce-Chernof\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA<\/strong><\/span>
\nChief Executive Officer<\/strong><\/span>
\nAmerican Geriatrics Society<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bruce A. Chernof, MD, FACP<\/strong><\/span>
\nPresident & Chief Executive Officer<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe SCAN Foundation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Are YOU at the center of your own health and care? It may seem like an obvious question, but it\u2019s an important one to consider since our medical system has often focused on treating illnesses rather than caring for people<\/em> with illnesses.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the medical system usually measures success as decreasing the negative effects of disease. That\u2019s an important aim, but ask any person what \u201cwell-being\u201d looks like and they\u2019re likely to talk more about being able to live well in spite of<\/em> disease. This divide can be especially difficult to navigate for older adults with complex health problems: owing to the status of their health, older people may feel like they have a limited say in how they are treated by a network of primary care providers and specialists, with various family members and caregivers expressing their own points of view, too.<\/p>\n

How do we better connect to people<\/em> when it comes to elder health and care? A group of experts recently convened by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) with support from The SCAN Foundation has taken steps toward answering that question by helping to define an innovative approach to health care: person-centered care.<\/p>\n

Based on a broad review of existing research, as well as findings from interviews with health and social service organization leaders, the expert panel defined person-centered care as \u201ccare in which individuals\u2019 values and preferences are elicited and, once expressed, guide all aspects of their health care, supporting their realistic health and life goals.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A person-centered care approach starts with gathering information about the values and preferences of a person in light of health status, with input from family or others important to the person when desired. When reviewed along with a traditional health assessment by a healthcare provider, this person-centered information is used to help shape and articulate specific goals based on what an older person wants and needs from care. Rather than being driven only by clinical outcomes, these goals are directed by how a person wants to function and what he or she hopes to accomplish when thinking about future well-being.<\/p>\n

So what can you do to make health and care more person-centered? Well, the group of experts brought together by the AGS identified several \u201cessential\u201d elements of person-centered approaches to health care.\u00a0 While no two experiences of person-centered care will be the same (they are, after all, person<\/em>-centered!), recognizing when and how you can discuss the following with your healthcare providers is an important step toward ensuring you\u2019re at the center of your own well-being:<\/p>\n