Senior care: making a difference in long-term care of older adults

Abstract

This article describes the creation of Senior Care, a practice of the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing (MUSSON). Senior Care is a home care agency that specializes in care of frail older adults. Grant funds assisted Senior Care in start up, and the program generated more than 1.25 million dollars in service revenue during the past fiscal year. More than 300 students, from nursing and other schools across the university, have used Senior Care as a clinical or service-learning site, and it is currently the site of several studies, totaling more than 3 million dollars in funding. Senior Care is the service component of the MUSSON Aging in Place initiative. The next phase is the completion of Tiger Place, a living community for older adults, built in affiliation with Americare Systems. Senior Care and the Aging in Place initiative provide an excellent example of how nurses can be leaders in health system change.