SPRINGFIELD, Pa. – Whether they’re in Upland or Upper Darby, Sharon Hill or Drexel Hill, over-55 residents of Delaware County now have access to one of the most comprehensive medical and social assessment programs in the region: the Crozer-Keystone Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) program.
That’s because the program recently expanded to a new office at the Upper Darby Center for Family Health, 1 South State Rd., Suite A. Developed by the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, the Geriatric Evaluation and Management service was previously offered at Crozer Medical Associates offices at University Technology Park in Chester, the Residence at Chestnut Ridge, and the Healthplex Pavilion II in Springfield.
“We are very excited to bring the GEM program to the people of Upper Darby and the surrounding neighborhoods,” says Peter Warrington, D.O., a geriatrician and family practice physician. “The GEM program provides a great opportunity to get a total look at all aspects of a senior’s life, including his or her medical condition, social situation and emotional status. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to perform even more of these assessments for a whole new community.”
Warrington has routinely performed GEM assessments at the Crozer Medical Associates sites along with CMA physicians Deborah Kahn, M.D., and William Zirker, M.D., M.P.H., chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and medical director of CKHS Senior Health Services. Now with the addition of the Center for Family Health location, Warrington is serving residents of the eastern end of Delaware County, an area known for its multicultural and aging populations.
GEM assessments are designed for seniors at any point on the wellness continuum — from healthy, active seniors who want to maintain their health and independence, to seniors who face a complex array of physical, medical, mental and emotional problems.
“The GEM program utilizes a unique team approach to geriatric medicine that allows us to provide quality health care to older adults and their caregivers,” says Barbara Alexis Looby, MSWAC, LSW, administrative director of Senior Health Services for Crozer-Keystone Health System. “It gives the patient and his or her family a comprehensive assessment to determine his or her needs, and helps connect patients to the community-based resources that can help them. It also gives the patient’s primary care physician an opportunity to develop a treatment plan that serves everyone’s best interests.”
Each GEM session begins with a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s plan of care. Evaluations are performed by a team of specialists that includes a board-certified geriatric physician, a certified geriatric nurse practitioner and a social worker. The assessment includes a physical exam; evaluations for memory loss, depression, day-to-day functioning, walking, nutrition and medications; and social support and community services.
“In today’s fast-paced medical world, it’s rare to find a physician who has the ability to devote 2 to 3 hours to completely assess his or her patients’ medical, psychosocial and cognitive issues,” Zirker says. “A GEM session enables us to comprehensively assess each of those issues, and consult with the patient, his or her physicians and his or her family to determine the options available for optimal care, living situations and medication management.”
Once the assessment is complete, the GEM team discusses its findings and recommendations with the patient, their family and caregivers, and physicians. The completed treatment plan includes medical care, emotional counseling and social work services, and patients are followed to ensure the treatment plan is carried out.
“The GEM program has been very successful in connecting seniors to the services they need to maintain their good health, and we’re excited to be able to bring the program to a new population in and around Upper Darby,” Zirker says. “It offers another alternative to people who are unable to get to the GEM sites in Chester or Springfield. and for us to do more for the people of our community.”