University of Louisville Trager Institute

The University of Louisville Trager Institute (formerly the Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging) is a non-profit affiliated with the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. They are driven by their mission of innovating the aging experience for individuals, communities, and industries through leading-edge clinical practice, collaborative research, and inter-professional education. They are dedicated to bringing about a new vision of aging where individuals and society are able to approach aging as an opportunity.

The University of Louisville Trager Institute has been able to operate its clinic at full capacity despite the stay home order. When the policy started to take effect, they quickly moved online all their clinic offerings, workforce development opportunities, and other community resources. They instituted an agile telehealth program that allows them to provide both acute care for immediate needs as well as attend to long-term and preventive care. They are currently open at reduced hours with a skeleton crew to ensure they are still able to offer in-person visits for the most critical appointments. Additionally, they also offer free weekly COVID-19 information sessions on Zoom. 

While they serve adults of all ages, they are learning how quickly, and positively, older adult patients can integrate technology into their healthcare experience. They are also learning first-hand how to take advantage of the potential for telehealth to provide improved care for their patients. Specifically, telehealth appointments allow them to offer virtual home visits – the gold standard in caring for older adults. They are also learning about how the integration of telehealth is reducing the accessibility barriers for individuals with mobility restrictions. This reduction of barriers has the long-term potential to significantly improve the quality of care for these individuals.