Grand-Aides concept
- A Grand-Aide is an extender for a nurse who serves as a supervisor, and can leverage the professionals with 5 Grand-Aides to one supervisor.
- Much of the success of Grand-Aides programs rests on the Grand-Aide creating a trusting relationship with a patient and family. The concept of “tough love” is important in that the Grand-Aide will need to be able to provide important in-person warmth, but also be firm insisting that the medical regimen with medications and diet is followed.
- The best way to achieve this relationship is with frequent early visits – at least 3-4 in the first week. This frequency is one of the bedrocks of the Grand-Aides program and is a requirement. Over the next several weeks, the visit frequency is reduced at the direction of the supervisor. The intent of the program is to empower patients and families such that they are caring for themselves after one month. The Grand-Aide stays involved with at least monthly in-person visits, and immediate availability by phone. The Grand-Aide stays involved as long as the patient, family and supervisor deem necessary.
- The Grand-Aide is the personal touch while also using the most up to date technology. Every home visit that a Grand-Aide makes has the supervisor on video (using HIPAA-compliant video from a tablet such as Face-Time or Jabber). Proprietary software is also used for data collection (and transmission to the supervisor), analysis and reporting.
- Depending upon the type of program, a Grand-Aide can help to care for 100 chronically ill or 250 primary care patients per year.
- The Grand-Aides program is based upon a web-based and in-person curriculum that has been honed over 5 years. It is consistent in what it teaches but is adaptable to fit the local circumstances, such as working with nurse care- (or “case”) managers to leverage them as supervisors.
