House Calls Atlanta is a nurse practitioner-led collaborative practice that provides primary care to older adults in homes and other non-medical office locations including assisted living facilities. Our patients often experience difficulty getting to medical appointments due to mobility, cognition, transportation or scheduling issues. (House Calls Atlanta is NOT an emergency service; patients with life-threatening emergencies should always call 911.)
During the initial visit, the House Calls Atlanta nurse practitioner will conduct a complete history and physical examination, perform a medication review, diagnose acute (temporary) and chronic (ongoing) illnesses, and develop an individualized plan of care. After each visit, the House Calls Atlanta nurse practitioner will provide a comprehensive care plan to the patient. This care plan can be shared with family, primary care providers and if applicable, assisted living facility staff.
3 Key Benefits of House Calls Atlanta
1) A more complete evaluation: Home-based primary care allows the House Calls Atlanta nurse practitioner to assess the entire patient including environment, social support systems, nutritional status, and functional status.
2) Less physically and mentally demanding: Home-based primary care eliminates the demands and stress of physically getting the patient to/from a medical facility including the impact of inclement weather and waiting in a “waiting room.”
3) Treating the whole patient: When managing the complexities of aging while maintaining dignity and self-determination, House Calls Atlanta provides the time and attention to manage chronic conditions, coordinate care among specialists, and support the family of caregivers.
Core Values of House Calls Atlanta
- Treating the WHOLE patient,
- Maintaining an environment of dignity and respect,
- Dedication to quality of life including advocacy and service coordination,
- Preventative care,
- Avoidance of unnecessary emergency room visits, and
- Maintaining or improving functional status.
Alison A. Schlenger – Biographical Sketch
Alison is the clinical manager of House Calls Atlanta, a collaborative practice that provides in-home services to adults age 65+ with common acute illnesses.
Alison’s professional career has been devoted to the well-being of older adults. Her career began as a geriatric social worker in practice settings including assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, a family social services agency, and adult protective services. She holds a BSW from Syracuse University and an MSW from Temple University.
As a member of several collaborative healthcare teams, Alison was drawn to the work of nurse practitioners and pursued the additional education to add to her “toolbox” to provide for the well-being of older adults. Alison graduated from Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing earning a BSN and MSN. Upon graduation, Alison became a board-certified gerontological nurse practitioner (GNP-BC).
In addition to her clinical responsibilities with House Calls Atlanta, Alison is on the faculty of Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing as a clinical nursing instructor. She relishes the opportunity to introduce nursing students to the rewarding field of gerontological nursing and the joys of working with older adults and their families.
In addition to her professional work, Alison is an active volunteer both locally and nationally. Alison is President-Elect of the Georgia chapter of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses’ Association and is a member of the Member Services committee for the American Academy of Home Care Physicians. She served as chairperson of the Memory Walk for a chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and is the Immediate Past President of the Emory Nurses’ Alumni Association.
Alison and her family have been a foster home for Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta, having fostered 64 orphaned dogs over an 11 year period, many of whom were ‘senior dogs.’