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Rowan University Gets Federal Grant To Improve Elder Health Care

By David Madden

(STRATFORD, N.J.) -- Rowan University is in line for a 2.5 million dollar federal grant aimed at improving health care for elderly people. The School of Osteopathic Medicine will use the money to form a special unit, according to its dean, Doctor Thomas Cavalieri.

"This grant will enable us to build on our strength of training future and current health care professionals to better meet the needs of the growing older population within the state of New Jersey," Cavalieri said.

29 states in all are splitting 35 and a half million dollars from the Health Resources Services Administration to develop various programs. In Rowan's case, the idea is to have doctors, nurses, therapists and family members work more as a team to help a patient stay healthy and out of a hospital or long term care center.

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Photo of Cavalieri and original press release. (Courtesy: Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine)

"Our health profession education schools historically have not done well in training health professionals to work in teams," Cavalieri told KYW Newsradio. "And they haven't done well in preparing health professionals to care for the special needs of the elderly."

Those needs range from nutrition and exercise to avoiding falls in the home. And that team concept also include family members who often are the first caregivers for elder loved ones.
Cavalieri hopes to have the program in operation at the Stratford facility within 6 months.

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