Programs

Ongoing Education

Dakota Geriatrics presents educational videos addressing the age-friendly framework from recorded healthcare professional learning opportunities.

Age-Friendly Health Systems adopts the concept of applying a set of four evidence-based frameworks of high-quality care, known as the “4Ms,” to all older adults in the healthcare system. Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

For more resources, see our Age-Friendly Microlearning.

What Matters
Know and align care with each older adult’s specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care and across settings of care.

Medication
If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medication that does not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility or Mentation across setting of care.

Mentation
Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across setting of care.

Mobility
Ensure that older adults move safely every day in order to maintain function and do What Matters.

Age-Friendly Health Systems

Dakota Geriatrics works with primary care clinics to implement Age-Friendly Health Systems throughout the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to adapt evidence-based practices and align What Matters to the older adult and their family caregivers at every care interaction.

North Dakota map identifying age-friendly locations

Key

Applicant: A health system is developing a plan to adopt 4Ms framework into practice.

Level 1: An Age-Friendly Health System Participant is recognized for being on the journey to becoming an Age-Friendly Health System and has submitted a description of how it is working towards putting the 4Ms into practice.

Level 2: Age-Friendly Health System – Committed to Care Excellence is a recognition for being an exemplar in the movement based on 4Ms work is aligned with the Guide AND at least three months’ count of older adults reached with evidenced-based, 4M care.

Applicant:

Level 1:

Level 2:

Age-Friendly Certification

Want better care for older adults? Dakota Geriatrics can assist clinics and long-term care programs to become Age-Friendly Healthcare systems. The certification process is sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. To become certified, clinical operations reliably adopt the 4M framework whereby each clinical encounter assesses and manages What Matters Most, Medications, Mobility and Mind. By applying this framework, better outcomes are achieved with older adult healthcare. The Dakota Geriatrics program provides 1:1 counseling and training videos to assist in the process of becoming Age Friendly.

Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

How to Start

To begin the process of earning Age-Friendly recognition with grant-supported assistance from Dakota Geriatrics, please contact Bethany Reed.

Or, follow these steps for the Do-It-Yourself participation:

Step 1. Select the 4Ms Care Description worksheet that best corresponds to your site of care

*If your health care system has multiple sites of care, please use the Committed to Care Excellence Counts (multiple sites) spreadsheet. If not, please look on the last page of your Care Description PDF Form.

Step 2. Email your completed 4Ms Care Description worksheet to AFHS@ihi.org 

You should receive an email with information about your recognition status within three weeks.

Please email AFHS@ihi.org for questions or additional information on becoming recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System.​​

Resources for Recognition

Age-Friendly Microlearning

  • Age-Friendly Health Systems applies a set of four evidence-based frameworks of high-quality care, known as the “5Ms,” to all older adults in the healthcare system. The purpose of this curriculum is to reinforce the concepts of Age-Friendly Healthcare and Geriatrics 4Ms through micro-lectures to healthcare professionals.
  • Register for this microlearning curriculum

Age-Friendly Health Systems

Dakota Geriatrics works with primary care clinics to implement Age-Friendly Health Systems throughout the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to adapt evidence-based practices and align What Matters to the older adult and their family caregivers at every care interaction.

Age-Friendly Health Systems Recognition | Institute for Healthcare Improvement

PracticeLocationSettingLevel
Love & Care, IncBismarck, NDOutpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Sanford Medical Center FargoFargo, NDInpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Sanford Southpoint Internal MedicineFargo, NDOutpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Center for Family Medicine – BismarckBismarck, NDOutpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Center for Family Medicine – MinotMinot, NDOutpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Black Hills VAHCS Community Living Center Fort Meade, SDNursing HomeCommitted to Care Excellence
Fargo VA Healthcare System GeriPACTFargo, NDOutpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Sioux Falls VAHCS Community Living Center (CLC)Sioux Falls, SDNursing HomeCommitted to Care Excellence
Home Therapy Solutions, LLCThompson, NDOutpatientCommitted to Care Excellence
Sanford HospiceSioux Falls, SDOutpatientParticipant
FirstLight Home CareRugby, NDOutpatientParticipant
Hospice of the Red River ValleyFargo, NDOutpatientParticipant
Standing Rock Service Unit Fort Yates, NDOutpatientParticipant
Quentin N. Burdick Memorial HealthcareBelcourt, NDOutpatientParticipant
Innovative Therapy Solutions & Consulting LLCMandan, NDOutpatientParticipant
Edgewood Fargo Fargo, NDOutpatientParticipant
Edgewood Grand ForksGrand Forks, NDOutpatientParticipant
Mountrail Bethel HomeStanley, NDNursing HomeParticipant
Coal Country Community Health Center – BeulahBeulah, NDOutpatientParticipant
Coal Country Community Health Center – CenterCenter, NDOutpatientParticipant
Coal Country Community Health Center – HazenHazen, NDOutpatientParticipant
Coal Country Community Health Center – KilldeerKilldeer, NDOutpatientParticipant
Sakakawea Medical Center Hazen, NDInpatientParticipant
Knife River Care Center – Long Term CareBeulah, NDNursing HomeParticipant
Senior Suites at Sakakawea Medical CenterHazen, NDNursing HomeParticipant
USD Sanford Medical Center EDSioux Falls, SDInpatientParticipant
Map of Age-Friendly Health Systems

IHI recognizes clinical care settings that are working toward reliable practice of evidence-based interventions for all older adults in their care known as the 4Ms (4Ms: What Matters, Medications, Mentation, Mobility). As of August 2024, nearly 5,000 health care organizations have earned either level 1 (Participant) or level 2 (Committed to Care Excellence) recognition in the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement.

  • Level 1 (Participant) teams have successfully developed plans to implement the 4Ms.​
  • Level 2 (Committed to Care Excellence) teams have three months of data of older adults who received 4Ms care.

​For more information on who is eligible for recognition, timelines for submission to notification, ​and more, visit the Frequently Asked Questions section below or sign up for Office Hours​ to meet with our team.

Helpful Tools

The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Worksheet is a simple tool to perform rapid cycle testing to assess whether a change leads to an improvement. PDSA cycles can be logged and tracked on your project planning form.

Age-Friendly Resources

Health Ambassador Teams for Seniors (HATS)

Dakota Geriatrics’ Interprofessional Community Service Learning program, called HATS, seeks to introduce students to the full spectrum of elderly heath status and older adult wellness promotion. A dyad of interprofessional healthcare trainees is assigned to perform a modified annual wellness exam on volunteer older adults via zoom format.

Program Objectives

  1. Evaluate an older adult through telehealth utilizing the Annual Wellness Exam and Age-Friendly 5Ms Framework
  2. Understand the role of an interprofessional team in caring for an older adult
  3. Develop telemedicine skills through zoom encounters by engaging older adults in conversations about health and accessing healthcare through telehealth
  4. Develop an individualized healthcare plan for older adults

Access Training

Students, please contact Bethany Reed to gain access to the training.

Login

To the members in our community, we’re always seeking volunteer older adults for a FREE visit with our students. Please view the flyer for further details.

Age-Friendly Framework

What Matters
Know and align care with each older adult’s specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care and across settings of care.

Medication
If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medication that does not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility or Mentation across setting of care.

Mentation
Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across setting of care.

Mobility
Ensure that older adults move safely every day in order to maintain function and do What Matters.

Multicomplexity

Health Promotion Program

The mission of the University of North Dakota (UND) Health Promotion Program is to advance the health and wellness of the greater Grand Forks area with a focus on increasing health equity within the community. Our goal is to promote psychosocial and physical well-being to residents through the provision of resident centered health counseling and motivational interviewing with an emphasis on underserved populations of the area.

Program Description

The Health Promotion Program was established in 2022 by students and faculty at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Community outreach and visits with residents will be conducted at the LINK, located at 300 Cherry Street in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This office space was generously donated by Grand Forks Housing Authority.

The goal of the program, and the students involved, is to engage in motivational interviewing with Grand Forks area residents. Students will work directly with participating residents and collaborate across health professions to meet the health and wellness goals of each individual resident and provide them with information, education, and resources to help them fulfill their goals.

What happens during the visits?

Students will conduct monthly Wellness Visits over the lunchtime hour every 3rd week of the month. These monthly visits will each focus on a different component of healthy living and will allow students to get to know the residents and encourage participation in the weekly individual visits.

The weekly individual visits will consist of 2 students per resident and will be 45-50 minutes in length. Both students and residents will provide feedback after each visit to be evaluated by the development team to ensure satisfaction and growth of the program. Through this mutually beneficial experience, it is our goal that residents will leave their visits feeling heard, respected, and confident in what next steps they can take to improve their quality of life. In addition, students will develop their skills in effective communication and patient interviewing, both of which can be carried into their future practices.

Note: Students will not be providing medical care to residents, nor will they be giving medical advice. The Health Promotion Program team is composed of students from the MD, PT, OT, Dietetics, and Social Work programs affiliated with UND and has faculty mentors available for consultation and support.

Student Participation

If you’re interested in participating in the Health Promotion Program, please complete the interest form below. Filling out this form is NOT a commitment to participate.

Sign Up Today

Timeline

Large group monthly wellness visits begins the 3rd week of August 2023 and will continue each month thereafter.

Weekly individual visits begins the 1st week of September 2023 and will continue during a consistent day and time each week.

Training Requirements

Online Video Training

Online Geriatrics Curriculum
Access the online geriatrics curriculum and enter your email. A link will be sent to you that you can click on to access the training at any point thereafter. Sample modules and their respective surveys to be completed are below.

Health Promotion Training Modules

Recommended Materials

The first lectures series is provided by Dr. Anne Bodensteiner from the department of Nutrition and Dietetics at UND. Her lectures will cover techniques and examples of motivational interviewing. The links for the YuJa recordings are below.

The second lectures series is provided by Dr. Andrew McLean and Dr. Sclinda Janssen from the department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences and Occupational Therapy. Dr. McLean’s lectures will cover some techniques to use when talking to patients about substance abuse or mental health issues. Dr. Janssen’s lecture will cover the role occupational therapy can play on a healthcare team and in improving patients’ lives. The links for the YuJa recordings are below.

Recommended Books (not required)

In person peer practice

Our first in-person peer practice in motivational interviewing will be held on August 28, 2023 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm Central at UND. This will be a chance for students to practice having conversations similar to those they can expect to conduct during individual visits, as well as receive feedback and have their questions answered by volunteer faculty members experienced in motivational interviewing.

Additional in-person peer practices will scheduled based on future demands.

Older Adult Care for CNA/Qualified Service Providers

Better Care For Older Adults: A Curriculum for All Levels of Nurses, Trainees, and Qualified Service Providers

Microlearning modules on Age-Friendly Healthcare, Quality Improvement, Resiliency, and Infection Control. Each of the 12 modules will include a pre-test, short video presentation (3-5 minute micro-lecture) and a post-test. By the end of all modules, a feedback survey and post-training assessment will be provided. Trainees can obtain a digital badge and a certificate (non-accredited) upon completion of this course.

Facilities: If you would like your staff to enroll in this curriculum, please contact Bethany Reed at Bethany.reed@und.edu


How to Enroll (FREE)

Modules

  1. Person-Centered Care
  2. Communication Skills
  3. Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Care
  4. Mobility in Nursing Homes
  5. Pain and Symptom Management
  6. Nutrition and Hydration
  7. Medication Awareness
  8. Infection Control and Safety
  9. Behavioral Health and Emotional Support
  10. Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration
  11. Legal & Ethical Responsibilities
  12. Self-Care and Resiliency

Gerochamp (Geriatrics Curriculum)

The purpose of the Online Geriatrics Curriculum is to provide core knowledge for medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, physical therapy and multidisciplinary professionals (Partnership for Health in Aging, 2010), along with competencies for interprofessional practice applying to older adult teams. We want you to attain the competency of a geriatrician by the end of the modules in this program.

Core geriatrics competencies will be addressed in these modules to assure that all learners receive training supporting mastery of geriatrics competencies.

Access Training

Enter your email address below to log in or register for the Online Geriatrics Curriculum.


Level 1

Biology of Aging 
Mobility Fall Prevention 
Geriatric Assessment 
Delirium 
Dizziness 
Advance Directives

Level 2

Medication Management of Dementia 
Prevention 
Sleep Disorders in Older Adults 
Transitions of Care 

Level 3

Frailty 
Improving Medication Use in Geriatric Patients 
Medication Management in Older Adults 
Deprescribing Medications 

Level 4 – Age Friendly

Introduction to Age Friendly Health Care 
Medications 
Mobility 
Mentation 
Age Friendly Care In Quality Improvement 
What Matters
Multicomplexity

Level 5 – Long Term Care

Atypical Presentation
Introduction to QAPI
Quality Care
Rehabilitation
Resiliency 1
Resiliency 2
Palliative Care
Nursing Home Care
Preventing Re-Hospitalization
Nursing Home Transitions Of Care
Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes

Level 6 – AIAN

Historical Trauma: The Impact on Indigenous Culture
Cultural Aspects of Health Care for Older Adults
Social Determinants of Health from an Indigenous Perspective
Population Health
Models of Health Service Delivery – Limited Access to Healthcare

Age-Friendly Healthcare Microlearning

Age-Friendly Health Systems applies a set of four evidence-based frameworks of high-quality care, known as the “5Ms,” to all older adults in the healthcare system. The purpose of this curriculum is to reinforce the concepts of Age-Friendly Healthcare and Geriatrics 5Ms through micro-lectures to healthcare professionals.

This curriculum is meant for healthcare professionals such as providers, nursing, OT, PT and other allied healthcare professionals and faculty.

Continuing Education certificate of 3.75 contact hours available upon completion of microlearning modules for portfolio (not board-accredited).

University of North Dakota-accredited Digital Badge received upon completion of modules and evaluation form.

Registration

Modules

  1. Introduction to Age-Friendly Healthcare
  2. Medications
  3. Mobility
  4. Mentation
  5. What Matters
  6. Multicomplexity
  7. Age-Friendly Healthcare in Quality Improvement

Interprofessional Education (IPE) Academy

The Dakota Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) assures interprofessional partnering by design. The University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (UND SMHS)has a robust IPE program, see UND SMHS Office of Interprofessional Education. The Dakota GWEP codifies faculty development through the Dakota IPE Teaching Academy. This academy supports “train the trainer” through an interprofessional lens and team-based care. Steeped in learning sciences, the academy supports instructional design, assessment, technology and delivery. These services will be augmented with the UND Teaching Transformation & Development Academy which supports faculty learning communities. 

Contact Dakota Geriatrics if you are interested in partnering in IPE education.

Four Interprofessional Education Competencies

There are four nationally recognized core IPE competencies and sub-competencies for best practices. UND SMHS IPE is based on these competencies. For more information, view: IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice

Resources

The Dakota GWEP IPE Academy extends to other state, community, and tribal colleges engaged in training health professionals. The inclusion of North Dakota State University School of Pharmacy and South Dakota State University College of Nursing are included in our work to strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships in our region. All these educational offerings are developed with interprofessional faculty in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions. Here are some healthcare IPE-related resources that healthcare faculty can use to teach IPE:

View IPE Resources

Geriatrics and Age-Friendly TeleECHO

Learn about best practices and evidence-based care for your patients through didactic and case presentations:

  • Learn about the key components of the 5Ms Framework:
    • What Matters
    • Medication
    • Mentation
    • Mobility
    • Multicomplexity
  • Improve geriatrics care for older adults at their location
  • Present de-identified cases for collaborative discussion and guidance

This teleECHO offers free educational credits for healthcare professionals.

Archives

Register
Project ECHO Website

Nursing Home Training

Great Plains – Mountain GWEP Consortium

Several HRSA funded Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs) collaborated to develop and deliver training for long-term care (LTC) facilities on Resiliency for staff and residents. Collectively, the GWEPs bring together national expertise in Geriatrics and Quality Improvement. The consortium uses the ECHO / Zoom format to deliver interactive presentations. All sessions are free and they are archived for new and established LTC staff to access. The program promotes the concept of “All teach, All Learn.” The goal of the program is to improve the knowledge and actions of LTC staff towards better care for older adults.

Partners

  • University of Montana (Geriatrics Education Center)
  • University of Wyoming (Wyoming Center on Aging)
  • Utah Geriatrics Education Consortium
  • Dakota Geriatrics

Indigenous Health Curriculum

Living in Long-Term Care Today

This recorded webinar series is for residents, family members, and professional caregivers in long-term care.

Questions?

  • Contact wycoa@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2829 for questions related to the series.

Consortium Topics


COVID-19 Considerations

Strengthen your organizations knowledge and best practices around COVID-19. Support your staff and build team resilience.


Age-Friendly Care

Provide better care for older adults by applying the 4Ms of geriatrics care and learn about becoming recognized by IHI as Age Friendly.


Quality Improvement

Build quality improvement skills to help improve patient outcomes!

Faculty / Mentors


  • Renee Brooksbank, Esq, LNHAGWEP Leader
    Associate Director, Montana Geriatrics Education Center

  • Catherine Carrico, PhDGWEP Leader
    Associate Director, Wyoming Center on Aging

  • Linda Edelman, RN, PhD, FGSA, FAANGWEP Leader
    Director, Utah Geriatrics Education Consortium

  • Donald Jurivich, DOGWEP Leader
    Director, Dakota Geriatrics | University of North Dakota

  • Jeremy Holloway, PhDGWEP Faculty
    Dakota Geriatrics | University of North Dakota

  • Adrienne Butterwick MPH, CHESQIO/QAPI Experts

  • Natasha Green, MBA, RNQIO/QAPI Experts

  • Jenifer Lauckner, RNQIO/QAPI Experts

  • Crystal Morse, MSWQIO/QAPI Experts

  • Kathy Owens, RN, MSN, QSPNursing Home Expert

  • Peer MentorsNursing Home Representatives