The purpose of the USI Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is to educate and train the health care and supportive care workforces to care for older adults by collaborating with community partners. The GWEP will maximize patient and family engagement to address care gaps and improve health outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care and other appropriate specialties using the Age-Friendly Health Systems Framework.
Explore the GWEP
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Advance Care Planning
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Age-Friendly Clinics
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Dementia Initiatives
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Evidence-Based Programs
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Gerontology at USI
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Minka Learning Lab for Living Well
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Learning Modules and Resources
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DFC Resource Corner
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AIM Nursing Home Consortium
Meet the USI GWEP
The University of Southern Indiana GWEP is helping provide innovative models of care and education that support growth and development across the lifespan.
GWEP Community Partnerships
Learn about the USI GWEP's community partnerships with Generations Area Agency on Aging, SWIRCA & More, and Deaconess Hospital.
Announcements
GWEP-CC Case Study: The Journey to Age-Friendly Primary Care
A case study written by the USI GWEP has been published to Geriatrics Care Online (GCO) as a new resource to other practices interested in the Age-Friendly movement. The authors are Dr. Kevin Valadares, Professor and Chair of Graduate Health Administration at the University of Southern Indiana, and Robin Arnold, GWEP Clinical Quality Improvement Analyst with Deaconess Clinic, Evansville.
Becoming an Age-Friendly Health System entails providing a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the “4Ms,” to all older adults in your system: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. In the USI GWEP's case study, Valadares and Arnold focus on the What Matters component of the 4M structure through a multimodal advance care planning (ACP) initiative within a primary care clinic.
Graduate Certificate - Administrator-in-Training (AIT) Residency Program
The first two students to enroll in USI’s Graduate Certificate – Administrator-in-Training (AIT) Residency Program have passed the National Long Term Care Administrators Board (NAB) exam on their first attempt and have accepted jobs as health facility administrators in southern Indiana.
New Activity Professionals Certificate
The Activity Professionals Certificate Program aligns with the University of Southern Indiana (USI) mission/strategic plan and USI’s federally funded Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) initiative by increasing the educational programs to prepare students for a career working with older adults.
This program enables USI students to acquire a certification by successfully completing four classes. The certification increases their knowledge and marketability while supporting the workforce needs in the state of Indiana.
The USI GWEP reached out to its network of academic nursing program partners and nursing home partners to develop a strategic proposal of the use of FY 2022-23 Nursing Staff Training in Nursing Home Care Supplemental Funding.
The Nursing Staff Training in Nursing Home Care supplemental funding will support several initiatives focusing on nursing homes:
- Dementia Curriculum: A Dementia-Focused Nursing Home Orientation designed for certified nursing assistants, nurses and other nursing home staff members. Learn more
- Age-Friendly Curriculum: Coming soon
- Nursing Home Staff Education, Recruitment and Retention: Our nursing home partners will utilize the dementia curriculum and the Age-Friendly curriculum, and one staff member from each nursing home will receive the Dementia Live® coach certification. To address resilience, partnering nursing homes will select one staff member to be trained as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor. After receiving the instructor status, these individuals will host a course for nursing home staff members focusing on mental health concerns.
Meet the Team
The University of Southern Indiana Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $5 million with 0% percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
Upcoming Events
USI receives $5 million to renew
Geriatrics Workforce
Enhancement Program
Spotlight: USI Health Services Administrator-in-Training Graduate
Laisha Gonzales-Ramos
