ABOUT US
 
The older population of Filipinos aged 60 years old and above, is the fastest–growing sector of the Philippine population and this trend to continue from 2025 to 2030. Older Filipinos are projected to account for at least 10% of the total population, making the Philippines an aging society based on the UN’s definition.
 
In 2020, there were a total of 234.7 thousand senior citizens or 8.0 percent of the household population in Quezon City. This number was 39.2 thousand or 20.1 percent higher than 195.4 thousand in 2015. Female senior citizens were significantly higher than that of males with 136.5 thousand (58.2%) and 98.2 thousand (41.8%), respectively. The same trend was observed in 2015. (Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2020 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) ).
 
The Philippines still has family as the primary care giver to the elderly and providing health care by the general health care delivery system in the country. The elderly suffers from multiple and chronic diseases. Thus, a model of care providing comprehensive health services to the elderly at all levels of the health care delivery is imperative to meet the growing health needs of the elderly .
 
In the Philippines, there is a shortage of Geriatricians and the   Department of Health (DOH) struggles to implement the Republic Act 9994 otherwise known as the Expanded Senior’s Citizen’s Act of 2010, a constitutional mandate requiring all hospitals to have a “geriatric ward” among others have put the health professional organization under pressure to produce adequately trained health personnel to meet the demand. 
 
Quezon City General Hospital complies with the Resolution No. SP 9056 s. 2022 referred to as “ A RESOLUTION URGING THE QUEZON CITY GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE OFFICE OF THE CITY MAYOR TO ESTABLISH GERIATRIC WARDS IN QUEZON CITY GENERAL HOSPITAL, NOVALICHES DISTRICT HOSPITAL and ROSARIO MACLANG BAUTISTA GENERAL HOSPITAL” by this Resolution, the Department of Geriatric Medicine was created separate from the Department of Internal Medicine and the 1st local government hospital who have a Geriatric Department and offers a Fellowship Program in the Philippines.
 
The Quezon City General Hospital - Department of Geriatric Medicine has been granted 2 year -  accreditation for Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Training Program by the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine as part of its goal to set standards in geriatric education.

SERVICES OFFERED

• Consultation and Management of Geriatric Patients at the OPD
• Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment ( In – patient, Senior Citizen Employee, Out – patient)
• Basic Geriatric Screening
• Frailty Screening
• Elderly Day Care ( In – house and Community )
• Provision of Specialty Program (Fellowship Training)

 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 
DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN

• Making policies, observing and analyzing operations making sure that they are at par with the goals.
• Monitors compliance of quality measures.
• Oversees the operation of the section and ensures that the staff's quality medical care and safety are provided to both in-patients and out-patients.
• Schedule meetings and training sessions with members of the training committee.
• Assist with recruitment, training, performance evaluation, promotion, retention, termination and managing the process of the program.
• Establishes professional relationships with other department heads.
• Attends workshops, lectures and training sessions whenever possible.
• Provides direction in planning and executing goals.
• Address grievances and build a positive working environment.
• Serves as the representative of the Department  and in the Medical staff executive committee.
• Creates a working committee appropriate to the needs of the department.
•  Evaluates performance of individual staff members on a semi-annual basis (IPCR).

 
 
TRAINING OFFICER
 
The training officer must at least be a diplomate in the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine whose position is upon the recommendation of the head of the Geriatric Department to the Medical Center Chief.
 
The responsibilities of the Training Officer are:

• Develop and evaluate the training program's overall outcome based on a geriatrician's roles.
• Develop an educational path such as competency-based goals and activities for fellows-in-training to achieve the program’s outcome.
• Monitors and measures the training progress of the fellow-in-training through evaluation of achievements of their portfolios by providing comprehensive feedback.
• Ensure the other geriatric consultants participate in the training program through teaching by any means necessary (rounds, didactics).
• Maintains and complies with the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine policies and requirements for the training and accreditation by ensuring the files needed for the accreditation are complete and updated.
• Screens and accepts applicants for the training program together with the Department Head.
• Evaluates other academic sites for outside and elective rotations of the fellow-in training.
• Ensures the safety of the fellow-in-training.
• Monitors the fellow-in-training and evaluates their performance.
• Serves as a liaison with the department head, existing staff members, and fellows in order to achieve set goals.

 
 
TRAINING Consultants
 
The training consultants of the Geriatric Department invited to be a member of the training committee are responsible for the implementation of the Geriatric Training Program.
 

1. Care Coordinators (OPD, Acute care, Domiciliary, etc.)
2. 
   

• Implements the objectives of their assigned care specialty.
• Observes and evaluates the clinical performance, behavior and skills of the trainee utilizing the Clinical Evaluation and monitoring tools, reviews the trainees management, and helps provide knowledge and develop skills in proper patient care treatment approaches.
• Provides input for the confidence and professionalism of the trainee and recommends correctional actions when needed for improvement.
• Attends section or department meetings and helps in the implementation for the improvement of the training program.
• Involves in the applicant evaluation process.

     3. Research Coordinator 

• Monitors the research output of the trainees and ensures the quality, appropriateness and feasibility of the research.
• Assists in the development of the research protocol and reviews the output and makes necessary correction
• Ensuring that the research of the trainee will be done and presented to the training committee prior to graduation.
• Attends section/department meetings, and provides suggestions for the improvement of the program.
• Involves in the applicant evaluation process.

 
CHIEF GERIATRIC Fellow – in - Training (CHIEF FIT) DUTIES

• Provide leadership example at the fellows’ level.
• Serve as the role model for geriatric FIT.
• Serve as the liaison between and among the head and the training officer of the Geriatric Center and the geriatric FIT.
• Prepare the FIT’s schedule of rotations, based on approved leaves, and monitor compliance of duty hour requirements, and modify the schedule as necessary changes in the event of unplanned absences. Inform and seek the approval of the training officer of all schedules and changes thereafter.
• Schedule theoretical reporting, making sure the topics are properly distributed among FIT, accomplished and evaluated.
• Responsible for the management and accomplishment of the training’s core curriculum according to schedule, and submission of a monthly report to the training officer. Likewise, any problems in the accomplishment of the core curriculum, foreseen or encountered, should be reported to the training officer.
• Responsible for monitoring compliance of the FIT to the training’s core curriculum, schedule of duty and other duties.
• Prepare the yearly budget for submission to the Office of Medical Education and Training.
• Attends all meetings and strategic planning, representing the interest of FIT.
• Assist in the selection of new FIT (recruiting, screening applications and interview process).
• Assist the training officer in the orientation of the newly accepted fellows, schedule of the introductory lecture series and ward exposure.
• Responsible for the annual post-graduate course of the Geriatric Center- program creation, selection and invitation of speakers, recruitment of participants, choice of venue and overall success of the post-graduate course including profitability. The annual post- graduate course program should have the approval of the head and the training officer prior to its execution.
• Assist the designated geriatric consultant in the conceptualization and implementation of the program for the Department.
• Help organize lay forum
• Help in organizing and ensuring the success of annual conventions where the Geriatric Department is involved.

 
SENIOR Fellow – in - Training (S-FIT) DUTIES

• Guide the first year FIT in handling patients admitted for acute care; therefore, they serve as the senior back-up in the acute ward.
• See referrals from other specialties and subspecialties.
• Conduct geriatric pre-operative clearance and manage post-operative problems.
• Conduct multi-disciplinary and family meetings.
• Teach nurses, allied health personnel, medical students, residents and lay people about old age care.
• Rotate monthly in the following: Acute Ward, Domiciliary Care, Geriatric Nutrition and Long-Term and Nursing Care.
• Rotate for two weeks in Old Age Psychiatry, Pain and Palliative, Hospice Care, Rehabilitation, and Wound Care Clinic, and Urinary Continence Clinic.
• Organize a quarterly lay forum whose objective is to promote geriatric care.
• Help in organizing the yearly post-graduate course of the Geriatric Center of Quezon City General Hospital
• Help in organizing the annual convention of PCGM.

 
JUNIOR Fellow – in - Training (J-FIT) Duties
The following are duty rotations of the J-FIT (each rotation last for a month):

1. Inpatient Care (acute ward, ER, transition care)
2. Ambulatory Care (out-patient and day care)

      Inpatient Care (Acute Ward, ER, Transition Care) J-FIT rotation

• See all cases admitted under the service of the geriatric center’s consultants within 30 minutes for regular ward admissions and 10 minutes for ER admissions, take a complete history, conduct a complete physical and neurologic examination and make admitting orders during duty hours of rotating Acute
• Ward FIT (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm and Sat-Sun 7am-12nn).
• Admissions beyond duty hours can initially be seen and assessed by the medical resident or the ER resident
• Ward FIT duties include  to see admitted patients to the regular ward within eight (8) hours from the time of admission and within two (2) hours for ICU admission.
• Inform and confer with the attending consultant of their admission.
• Make a problem list for each admitted patient, written from top to least priority based on urgent and important needs, and a sound treatment plan based on his/her medical findings, comprehensive geriatric assessment and patient and family goals. This problem list and corresponding management must be re-evaluated regularly to determine what problems are solved and what persists and to check appropriateness of existing goals.
• Conduct daily rounds on all admitted patients twice daily, especially for patients that need close monitoring.
• Update geriatric consultants on their admitted patients in the morning before 10 am.
• Relay results of laboratory examinations to the corresponding geriatric consultants within 6 hours from the time laboratory examination was done. For imaging tests, initial readings will suffice.
• Make discharge plans/instructions for the patient and their family. All discharge plans/instructions must be first discussed with and approved by the attending geriatric consultant.
• Prepare the documents and final instructions to be endorsed to the receiving healthcare provider who will handle the patient in a transition care facility.
• Present interesting cases for admitting cases discussions during the 2ndand 4thmonth Monday of the month, endorse admitted patients during daily rounds to peers and to the next acute ward rotator and the assigned Senior-FIT (S-FIT).
• Update the daily census of admitted patients and accomplish the ward census logbook during their rotation.

          Ambulatory (OPD GEM-CARE/Day Care) FIT is expected to:

• See all patients consulting at the social service OPD every Monday and Friday 1-5PM with the supervision of the assigned Geriatric Consultant of the week.
• Sign in at the Attendance Sheet of OPD and accomplish the Outpatient Clinical Assessment Information (OCAI) and follow up notes forms for each patient seen.
• Accomplish daily OPD logbook.
• Conceptualize and prepare all day care activities. All day care activities must be approved by the OPD GC-care coordinator.
• Facilitate the day care activity every 2nd and 4th Wednesday  from 10AM-11:30 AM.
• Conduct CGA on all patients under the service of consultants of the geriatric center, in-patient or out-patient.
• Review the CGA reports done by the CGA nurses on admitted patients aged 70 years old and above who are not under the service of consultants of the geriatric center but who underwent CGA since these patients are assessed to be at high risk for the development of poor clinical outcomes (Score of 4.25-7 based on the Minimum Geriatric Screening).
• Accomplish and present the monthly CGA census.
• Present cases for the CGA hour every 2ndand 4thTuesday of the month.

 

Fellow- in – Training  (FIT)

• Duty hours for FIT(Fellow In Training)  include all clinical (inpatient, outpatient, on-call/emergency care and rotations) and academic activities such as oral reporting, didactics, journal club, case discussion and conferences, that is related to the fellowship training program.
• Also included in duty hours are time spent on activities required by the accreditation standards i.e. BLS/ALCS, BEPADACT, or any activities that are accepted practice in the fellowship programs, such as lay forum, post- graduate courses, medical missions, strategic planning, participation in the activities of the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine and other related societies.
• Duty hours do not include reading, studying and any time spent away from the hospital, ambulatory site and rotations.
  
• Report every Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and every Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 am
• to 12:00 nn completing 55 hours a week or 220 hours a month of duty.
• Complete two academic years in training.
• All FIT is on a “on-call status” meaning they can be called upon to go back to the hospital after 5pm to attend to the emergency care of patients upon the request of the attending geriatrician.
• Ward FIT is to respond to calls from nurses and residents-in-training within ten (10) minutes during office hours and two (2) hours after 5pm.

 
NURSE SUPERVISOR

• Analyze and evaluates nursing service staffing.
• Monitors the implementation of the daily plan of the activities of the Head Nurses.
• Disseminates Hospital Policies to Nursing Service Personnels.

 
HEAD NURSE

• Managing a team of nurses and healthcare professionals involved in the assessment.
• Ensuring that assessments are conducted thoroughly and accurately.
• Coordinating with other healthcare professionals, such as physicians, therapists, and social workers, to gather a comprehensive understanding of the older adults health status and needs.
• Providing guidance and support to the assessment the assessment in developing personalized care plans based on the assessment findings.
• Communicating effectively with the older adult and their family members to explain the assessment process and findings.
• Advocating for the older adults needs and preferences within the healthcare team.

 
STAFF NURSE

• Regular assessing the mental status and cognitive ability of the patient.
• Maintain an organized and updated chart for patients.
• Conduct Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment.
• Facilitate Elderly Day Care.

ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS
ELDERLY DAY CARE

• This activity was created to improve the quality of life of each older adult who are enrolled to this program.
• This activity will enhance or uplift their morale, cognitive function,  physical well being and feeling of being  isolated.

CONDUCTING POSTGRADUATE COURSE
The Department of Geriatric Medicine recently held their 1st Postgraduate Course entitled
GERIATRIC on the RISE