nurse working with woman on therapy bars

Community-Based, Proactive Care Coordination – That’s HealthPlus

Brookdale’s care coordination program, HealthPlus, works to help improve residents’ quality of life, and help prevent avoidable emergency room visits or hospitalizations - in partnership with their family and healthcare providers.

HealthPlus offers a care partner for providers dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our residents. HealthPlus provides a registered nurse (RN) who proactively helps residents manage their health every day. That’s a medical advocate for the residents.

With HealthPlus, you’ll find:

Proactive assistance with and management of preventive healthcare services, like annual wellness visits, immunizations, and health screenings
Support for chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure (CHF)
Help managing urgent care needs, with RN oversight of triage and urgent care protocols

Don't just take our word for it

How HealthPlus helps improve the health of Brookdale residents:

*The following are real accounts of residents’ experiences with HealthPlus, from Care Managers at Brookdale.

Chronic conditions are better managed with a care manager’s attention to evidence-based nursing protocols.

"A new resident to Brookdale had heart failure - with a lot of swelling in the legs (edema) and trouble walking without assistance. The HealthPlus care manager managed their medications, spent time educating them, and coordinated their appointments. Eventually, the resident’s edema subsided, they walked without a walker, and managed all activities of daily living."

Care managers help close gaps in care by coordinating health services for the resident with their family members and care partners.

"A resident discharged to Brookdale from the hospital was very confused and not compliant with care. Their spouse said this was very abnormal and had started recently. The HealthPlus care manager sat down with the spouse and reviewed the resident’s medications. Together, they determined the resident was taking three medications that had previously caused negative reactions. After the care manager alerted the primary care provider, all three medications were discontinued and added to an allergy/intolerant list. The resident soon became more coherent, lucid, and their overall disposition improved."

HealthPlus care managers are patient advocates who help keep the details of residents’ care — and health — on track.

"A resident without any history of cardiovascular issues had increased swelling in both legs. By working with the primary care physician, the HealthPlus care manager was able to educate the resident on bilateral leg elevation, help them reduce their sodium intake at Brookdale, and coordinate with staff to have their legs wrapped. This resulted in reduced swelling and improved quality of life, as eventually the resident was able to walk with much easier mobility."

How Brookdale helps close gaps in care, with HealthPlus:

Step 1: Every HealthPlus community benefits from a care manager who is a registered nurse.

Step 2: We support our care managers with up-to-date technology and communication tools to enable responsive, effective care coordination with our residents’ primary care providers and other specialists.

Step 3: The care manager meets with every new resident to establish their current health status, then develops a personalized care plan based on their healthcare needs as well as individual values, goals and wishes. This meeting also confirms whether a resident prefers to receive primary care services on-site or outside their Brookdale community - with input from the resident’s primary care team.

Step 4: The care manager monitors the overall health and wellness of the residents and helps triage urgent care needs.

Step 5: When residents need additional healthcare services, the HealthPlus care manager organizes care transitions, coordinates referrals, reconciles medications, and schedules follow-up visits.