Gerontological Society of America

Th e National Hartford Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE; https://www.nhcgne.org) is dedicated to leading and advancing excellence in gerontological nursing research, education, and practice.As one of the premier gerontological nursing organizations, we serve as the professional home for nurses, across health care settings, interested in the care of older adults.We believe that nursing care of older adults requires the interplay of research, education, and practice within the context of

Abstract This popular annual session will provide cutting-edge information on what the 118th Congress has and has not accomplished to date related to aging policy. Of particular importance will be the Older Americans Act Reauthorization, including funding for the Center for Research and Demonstration in the Aging Network, as well as an update on Medicare Advantage, nursing home regulations, and hospice and palliative care legislation.

Background: Iatrogenesis is unintended injury result of medical management rather than the disease process among hospitalized geriatric patients. Geriatric nurses should have the necessary knowledge about these iatrogenic events. Aim: determine the relationship between iatrogenic events of hospitalized geriatric patients and nurses’ knowledge. Settings: The study was done at the inpatient unit of the orthopedic surgeries and traumatology department of El Hadara University Hospital and the surgical department of the Main University Hospital which is affiliated to Alexandria Governorate, Egypt. Subject: 100 hospitalized geriatric patients and 80 nurses who give direct care to them were included. Tools: Five tools were used for data collection as follow; Hospitalized Geriatric Patients’ Socio-demographic Data Structured Interview Schedule, Hospitalized Geriatric Patients’ Medical Record, Iatrogenic Events of Geriatric Patients Appraisal Tool, Socio-demographic Data of Geriatric Patient’s Nurse Questionnaire, and Nurses’ Knowledge of Iatrogenic Events Questionnaire. Result: The most prevalent type of iatrogenic events among the study geriatric patients is iatrogenic events related to drug reaction with a mean percent score of 75.75±35.93. The study nurses who reported poor level of knowledge represented by 52.5% while fair level of knowledge reported by 36.3% and 11.3% reported good level of knowledge with a mean percent of 49.55 ± 18.11 Conclusion: Although there was no significant relation between the level of nurses’ knowledge and total score of iatrogenic events among hospitalized geriatric patients, a significant relation was found between nurses’ knowledge and nursing-related iatrogenic events. Recommendations: Develop training educational program for nurses who care for geriatric patients about iatrogenic events’ management.

Elder law and disability law have historically developed separately, with minimal interaction. However, there are many similarities and shared interests between both fields and both groups – older persons and persons with disabilities. This paper is the first attempt to comparatively analyze the legal academic publications that have addressed both disability and older persons’ rights in the last two decades. Using a systematic scoping review methodology, we quantitatively analyzed 180 articles published in the last two decades in legal journals and qualitatively analyzed seventeen of these articles that directly address the relationship between both fields. This systematic review yielded a comprehensive up-to-date quantitative and qualitative picture of the relationship between disability law and elder law. Our findings show that current comparative literature is one-directional, as it is ‘old-age-based’ and ‘disability-focused’. The analysis produced five elements characterizing the relationship between the two fields: similarities, differences, tension, separation efforts and bridging efforts. Discussing these findings, this paper suggests two different narratives to explain the revealed relationship. One emphasizes the subtle manifestations of ageism in disability studies and disability law and ableism in gerontology and elder law. The other highlights the different histories of both fields and the human rights movements they serve. More broadly, the paper demonstrates the benefits of a systematic scoping review as an empirical methodology for comparative research generally, and specifically, the opportunities that an open dialogue between elder law and disability law provides.

Abstract Partnerships and collaboration across sectors played a critical role in the development of the fourth edition of the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map (Road Map). The public health community, leaders in related fields, and people living with dementia contributed to the development and review. The Alzheimer’s Association and CDC invited 20 national leaders from public health, aging, academia, health care and health systems to guide the development of the fourth HBI Road Map as a part of the Leadership Committee. Their contributions included reviewing data, setting the overall direction of the review and leading five workgroups, composed of 68 subject-matter experts, who recommended actions on Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline; Timely Detection, Diagnosis and Management of Cognitive Impairment; Dementia Caregiving; Health Equity; and Community Linkages. Health departments offered input through facilitated listening sessions and an open input period. Their feedback emphasized the importance increased information on health equity and partnerships in the Road Map. The Leadership Committee also advised continued partner engagement through the review process. This translated to review by the Alzheimer’s Association, CDC subject matter experts, external health equity experts, the Leadership Committee, workgroup members, the Healthy Brain Initiative Collaborative, the Alzheimer’s Association Early Stage Advisory Group and ultimately CDC leadership. This presentation will explore important themes that emerged throughout this process that shaped the design and evolution of the HBI Road Map series to its most recent iteration, as a guiding document with health equity and multi-sector collaboration action at its core.

Исследование заключалось в определении влияния стентирования почечных артерий у пациентов с артериальной гипертензией в сочетании со стенозом почечных артерий на клинико-гериатрический статус по таким показателям, как число принимаемых препаратов, когнитивный статус, определяемый по шкале MMSE, распространенность частоты падений, психоэмоциональный статус по шкале Бека, качество сна по шкале ВАШ, индекс возрастной дискриминированности по опроснику эйджизма E. Palmore, качество жизни по опроснику SF-36. В исследовании приняли участие 72 пациента пожилого возраста с артериальной гипертензией в сочетании со стенозом почечных артерий. По итогам проведенного исследования, в результате стентирования почечных артерий отмечается уменьшение числа принимаемых препаратов, улучшение когнитивного статуса по шкале MMSE, уменьшение распространенности частоты падений, улучшение психоэмоционального статуса по шкале Бека и качества сна по шкале ВАШ, снижение уровня возрастной дискриминированности, повышение качества жизни по всем шкалам опросника SF-36. The study consists in determining the effect of renal artery stenting in patients with arterial hypertension in combination with renal artery stenosis on the dynamics of clinical and geriatric status in terms of such indicators as the number of drugs taken, cognitive status, determined by the MMSE scale, prevalence of the frequency of falls, psycho-emotional status by the Beck scale, the quality of sleep on the VAS scale, the index of age discrimination according to the E. Palmore ageism questionnaire, the quality of life according to the SF 36 questionnaire. The study involved 72 elderly patients with arterial hypertension in combination with renal artery stenosis. According to the results of the study, as a result of stenting of the renal arteries, there is a decrease in the number of drugs taken, an improvement in the cognitive status on the MMSE scale, a decrease in the frequency of falls, an improvement in the psycho-emotional status on the Beck scale, an improvement in the quality of sleep on the VAS scale, a decrease in the level of age discrimination, an increase in the quality of life according to questionnaire SF-36 on all scales.

Abstract One in five Americans adults report experiencing chronic pain and stated it has negatively impacted their lives by limiting their engagement in activities. The magnitude of pain experienced is more severe in older adults, which may be due to age-related differences in pain perception pathways leaving older adults more vulnerable to the negative impact of pain. The most common type of chronic pain experienced by older adults involves musculoskeletal disorders, which is consistent with age-related declines muscle strength and mass. Declines in handgrip strength is associated with chronic pain perception and poor cognitive functioning. Older adults who experience severe chronic pain have worse working memory and attention. The experience of chronic pain is attentionally demanding on cognitive processes making it difficult for older adults to draw their attention away from pain perception during cognitively demanding tasks. Chronic pain is also associated with accelerated decline in cognition, dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease pathogenesis. As a GSA policy intern, I represented GSA in the Protecting Access to Pain Relief Coalition to explore policy initiatives and recommendations in relation to chronic pain experienced by older adults. Research on chronic pains’ impact on cognitive and physical function is often conducted in isolation. However, they seldom occur in isolation during real-world tasks. Therefore, research on tasks that involve simultaneous physical and cognitive functioning in relation to chronic pain is imperative. In addition, handgrip strength should be considered as a useful cost-effective screening tool as a measure for cognitive decline in older adults with chronic pain.

Despite evidence that early detection of mild cognitive impairment and dementia leads to improved patient care, these conditions remain under-diagnosed in primary care. To address this gap at University of Washington Medicine, we have developed and pilot-tested a program to increase cognitive evaluations and improve dementia care by primary care providers (PCPs). The Cognition in Primary Care (CPC) program was designed utilizing stakeholder-selected components of the GSA KAER (Kickstart-Assess-Evaluate and Refer) Model and Toolkit (2020 Edition), developed by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). In this presentation we will describe evaluation of the CPC Program including (a) education training; (b) use of assessment tools integrated within the electronic health record (e.g. potentially harmful medications, depressive symptoms, alcohol use, sleep apnea, etc.); (c) practice recommendations such as dedicated evaluation appointments, diagnoses and referrals, and (d) PCP use of community resources for post-diagnosis support. A total of 66 PCPs participated in the series of 3 CME educational seminars. Over 93% of participants reported the content to be highly relevant and expected to incorporate it into their practice; commitments to use specific tools were made. Analysis is underway to determine impact of the program by comparing the above metrics before and after the training as well as between trained and untrained PCPs. Results from this evaluation will inform modifications to increase utilization of the CPC Model within UW Medicine, will be used to package the program to share with other primary care systems, and will guide future enhancements to the GSA KAER Toolkit.