Kendal Outreach and Hebrew SeniorLife Bring Pioneering Organizations Together to Create and Implement Wellness Assessment Tools

Kendal Outreach and Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute of Aging Research of Massachusetts have formed COLLAGE, The Art and Science of Healthy Aging, a national membership consortium of older adult communities and aging services providers -- including continuing care, community-based, home care and housing residences -- dedicated to improving the lives, well-being and health of their residents/clients. The consortium consists of nearly 50 not-for-profit continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and housing organizations across the USA and is open to new members.

The program provides member organizations with a framework for the application of standardized, systematic and integrated health and wellness assessment information to advance and promote healthy aging. These assessments have been developed by interRAI, a non-profit organization of researchers which was founded to improve the lives of elderly, frail, or disabled individuals through the use of quality assessment practices.

Participation in COLLAGE offers an organization the opportunity to use a suite of computerized and scientifically-grounded health and wellness assessment tools to measure and track a wide range of health and wellness dimensions for their residents/clients. Thus COLLAGE member organizations improve their ability to advise individual residents/clients on matters of health, wellness and successful aging, and through aggregate data are able to develop stronger system-wide interventions and outcomes. Organizations may generate critical information to plan targeted programs and services, allocate appropriate resources, ensure quality and accountability, and advance individual and community health and wellness.

To learn more, visit the Collage website and participate in a free web cast.