GERIATRICS PARTNERSHIPS IN HEALTH-CARE - THE LIFE-SPAN MODEL

Health care professionals are expected to function as partners. Howeve r, most professionals are not prepared to work in teams or to develop organizational structures to support a team approach. We describe the development of a successful interdisciplinary partnership program in g eriatric health care called LIFE SPAN. Nine factors that contributed t o its success are analyzed: common goals, right timing, leadership sup port, expertise, breadth of ideas, compatibility of organizational des ign, team building, persistence, and sufficient financial resources.