The Health Ministry revealed details on Friday regarding the establishment of “Healthy Aging Centers” (For patients 80 years of age and older, YAAM) are used in hospitals to provide both remote and on-site medical care.
These facilities will be established across the nation with the assistance of the Health Ministry and will carry out tasks like assisting with the medical care requirements of the elderly both at home and on location, offering remote health services when necessary, and transporting citizens in need from hospitals to their homes and vice versa.
A circular bearing Health Minister Fahrettin Koca’s signature and sent to the provincial health directorates, according to Anadolu Agency (AA), established the guidelines for the YAAM’s operations and procedures.
Additionally, medical follow-ups, exams, and consulting services will be offered, ensuring the coordination of services required in healthcare facilities devoted to making it simpler for the elderly age group to access healthcare.
Accessible Places
The locations of the facilities will be determined by the demographics and service requirements of each province.
The facilities will include waiting areas for senior citizens and their caregivers as well as a polyclinic room equipped to provide basic healthcare services like taking blood pressure, measuring weight and height, collecting urine samples, and recording EKGs.
According to the information gathered, the facilities will offer spiritual support, and the teams working in the units will include at least a specialist doctor or physician, two nurses, an elderly health care specialist, and a medical secretary.
An internal or family medicine specialist will work in the centers if a specialist geriatrician is not available to join the team.
Dietitians and psychologists will be given priority, but other professionals like physiotherapists, social workers, and moral support staff will also be available on call in the centers.
The follow-up of up to 300 senior citizens will fall under the purview of each YAAM team. The staff will provide services during the designated working days and hours, and in the event that an elderly person needs to visit a public health facility outside of those hours, the team in the unit will be notified via the system established by the ministry.
Medical Plan and Evaluation
A minimum of once a month for elderly patients who are bedridden, and once every three months for elderly patients who are independent, will be spent performing evaluations on each patient.
The initial evaluation will be conducted on-site or at a client’s home, and all subsequent visits will be in-person, ideally on-site. Using remote video health services, the elderly can be assessed in situations like epidemics, remote locations, and weather conditions.
A team of doctors working for the centers will visit the elderly person on-site or at home to assess their care requirements. They will produce a medical care plan based on evaluations.
The implementation of necessary therapies focused on physical therapy and rehabilitation will depend on the needs of the elderly.
A similar service will be provided by the team’s social workers, who will assess whether the elderly person needs institutional care, home care, or both. Along with the physician, dietitians will assess the patient’s nutritional requirements. Elderly needs like dressing changes, injections, and catheter changes will also be attended to during subsequent visits.
According to the plans, health care technicians will assist the elderly people with their daily activities, such as eating and brushing their teeth, while psychologists who work in the centers will pay frequent visits to the elderly people at their homes.
With the help of the secretaries working in the centers, who will follow these procedures and schedule the required appointments, relatives who look after elderly people will be informed about their medical care plans.
It was emphasized in the shared circular that YAAM should be rapidly implemented in Türkiye hospitals in accordance with the plans.
“Since our ministry plans to expand the services in question to include individuals aged 65 and over, it is important to carry out studies to establish the necessary service capacity as soon as possible,” the statement read.
