Our nation’s health delivery system frequently does not meet the unique needs of older adults. Wide gaps remain between evidence-based approaches, nationally recognized best practices, and how care is currently delivered for many conditions that disproportionately affect this population. Strong leadership is needed to ensure that promising innovations are implemented to improve health and functional outcomes in older adults.

The Practice Change Leaders program is a one-year opportunity to gain enhanced leadership skills and content expertise to positively influence care for older adults. Leaders complete a project aimed at integrating improved care for older adults within their organization, allowing them to remain at their full time job throughout the one-year program.

The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic is a limited life foundation that makes grants through its five programme areas: Ageing, Children & Youth, Population Health, Reconciliation & Human Rights, and Founding Chairman. Atlantic is active in Australia (final grants made in 2011), Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam. To learn more, please visit: www.atlanticphilanthropies.org

In the three countries where the Ageing Programme operates - Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States - many older adults confront social and economic challenges that limit their ability to enjoy sound health and economic security. To help them, Atlantic works to improve the quality of health care, particularly for low-income older adults with multiple chronic conditions in the United States and those with dementia in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We also seek to strengthen government policies and standards to better address the economic and social needs and experiences of older adults, primarily the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of training, research and service system innovations that promote the health and independence of America's older adults. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation seeks to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide effective, affordable care to this rapidly increasing older population by educating "aging-prepared" health professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers), and developing innovations that improve and better integrate health and supportive services. The Foundation was established by John A. Hartford. Mr. Hartford and his brother, George L. Hartford, both former chief executives of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, left the bulk of their estates to the Foundation upon their deaths in the 1950s.