So, we come to my final post for a while on falls in the elderly. I think this is the beginning of my advocating for the safety and well-being of the elderly. I find that the more people that I meet, the more passionate I become about the subject.
Interviewing a Policymaker
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Steve Wagner. He is at the forefront of protecting the elderly in Arizona. I interviewed Steve regarding the advocacy and policy opportunities he has been part of. Steve is a longtime firefighter and paramedic in Arizona. He is the founder of The RightCare Foundation which is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the safety of Arizonans and helping them get the healthcare they deserve (Arizona Gives, 2021). I recently became a member of the Arizona Falls Prevention Coalition (AFPC), and he is the Policy and Advocacy Chairman for the AFPC. Steve has been a part of policy and advocacy for the people of Arizona for approximately 10 years. In those 10 years, he has become a vital member of other committees related to policy. These include being a Council Member of The Arizona Governor's Advisory Council on Aging (GACA), The Arizona Attorney General's Taskforce Against Senior Abuse (TASA), The Health Improvement Partnership of Maricopa County (HIPMC), and Advisory Board Member of Mothers Awareness on School-aged Kids (MASK) (Arizona Gives, 2021). In addition to guiding the mentioned organizations, he was personally involved with Arizona HB 2260 which lead to Arizona SB 1373 which holds healthcare institution institutions and providers accountable for knowing and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation as needed upon finding someone in cardiac or respiratory arrest and well as Arizona HB 2076 which allows emergency services access to state advance directive registries (S. Wagner, personal communication, April 12, 2022). Both are huge successes for Arizona and the health and safety of its residents.
Falls in the Elderly
I spoke to Steve about my interest in falls in the elderly and wondered who my biggest opponents are on a state level for policy changes like fall prevention. Steve states that the biggest opponents generally are, “the organizations that represent the businesses operators.” The concern for these organizations many times is the financial aspect of policy change. This could be related to my previous post about having emergency departments or primary care providers take additional action to identify and treat falls in the community. The resources that it would take, both financial and time, could hinder some of the businesses that have to implement these new policies. It is not to say that they are not interested in helping the elderly, but they are running a business, and spending money takes away from profit. The organizations that represent these businesses on a state level help to protect and represent these businesses. This is something that I will consider as I proceed with my path to helping the elderly that fall in the community.
Current Policy Direction for Safety in the Elderly
Patient Wishes
Steve and I spoke about advance directives, the Physician Order for Life-Sustaining (POLST), and the orange form (out-of-hospital DNR form). These forms are so important to make sure that someone’s wishes are followed at the end of life, so they do not suffer unnecessarily from unwanted treatment. The forms need to be available to first responders as well as healthcare professionals. Also, healthcare organizations including assisted and independent living communities should have access to them and know how to interpret them so that they can assist in care before emergency services arrive.
Delay in Care
I was surprised but the “No Touch Policies” that were present in healthcare facilities in Arizona (Schlinkert & Kovacs, 2019). These are policies in place for certain healthcare facilities that advise their employees to report but not assist their residents in an emergency or a situation where the person may need assistance, like a fall. This is an unacceptable practice and I support the changes related to this that Arizona will see in the upcoming years.
Thank you
My interview with Steve, as he said, is the beginning of a friendship that will lead to great things related to advocating for the elderly in Arizona. He and I share a great passion for standing up for those people that could easily be one of our family members for no other reason than because it is the right and decent, and ethical thing to do. I wanted to send a sincere thank you to Steve Wagner, the Founder of the RightCare Foundation and policy advocate in Arizona for taking the time to share some of his knowledge and expertise with me regarding policy, falls, advance care planning, and advocacy of the elderly.
References
Arizona Gives. (2021). RightCare Foundation. https://www.azgives.org/rightcare
Schlinkert, D., & Kovacs, M. (2019). Honoring Wishes: Is Arizona Doing Enough to Protect Seniors? |. Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona State University. https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/content/honoring-wishes-arizona-doing-enough-protect-seniors
Comments