Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluating The Clinical Utility Of A Novel Electroencephalography System For Assessing Perioperative Neurocognition In Older Surgical Patients, Lloyd H. Barnwell Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a public health and research priority (American Society of Anesthesiologists, 2019). POD is a risk factor for long-term neurocognitive decline, and the rate of decline is directly proportional to the severity of POD (Vasunilashorn et al., 2018). Baseline cognitive function is a strong, independent predictor for POD (Culley et al., 2017). The International Perioperative Neurotoxicity Working Group recommends baseline cognitive function be assessed for older patients prior to surgery and anesthesia (Berger, et al., 2018). Perioperative cognitive screening tools trialed in anesthesia are not routinely incorporated into clinical practice related to validity, reliability, or practicality problems …

Creating Covid-19 Work-Arounds For Vulnerable Older Adults, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

In response to disruptions in care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) has decided to focus energies on vulnerable populations, specifically: low income older adults in the Richmond Health and Wellness Program (RHWP), which delivers healthcare coordination at rental assistance housing complexes in Richmond, who had been receiving regular in-person help from interprofessional teams of faculty and students; residents with dementia and staffs of long-term care facilities who’d been intended to participate on-site in a non-pharmacological dementia care intervention called TimeSlips, as well as family caregivers of individuals in the community with dementia; and older …

The Agony Of Da Feet: Reexamining The Foundation To Fitness, Amanda M. Lutter, Christopher B. Stewart

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Explain the role of podiatry in helping older adults maintain wellbeing.

2. Provide an overview of common foot and ankle conditions that older adults should be concerned about.

3. Discuss newer services and techniques provided by podiatrists.

4. Review several cases in which podiatry supported patients’ health through early interventions.

National And Local Antibiotic Prescribing Trends And Prescribing Appropriateness In Older Adults, Fawaz M. Alotaibi

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Antibiotic overuse/misuse has been documented in several reports to increase the risk of Clostridioides difficile (C.diff) infection and antibiotic resistance. The older adult population is more prone to use antibiotic medications than any other age group due to decreased immune function, use of urinary catheters, ventilation during hospitalization and other factors. Antibiotic resistance and C.diff are major public health problems. However, studies examining the trends of antibiotic use and the association between the antibiotic use and negative health outcomes among older adults in the outpatient and emergency department settings are limited.

Objectives: The main objectives of this …

Fighting Frailty With The Mediterranean Diet, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

It’s appropriate for each of us to examine our eating habits, not just our nutrition intake. The various aspects of the Mediterranean Diet hold potential benefits beyond the important feature of helping to reduce frailty.

Our Anniversary, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

The Virginia Center on Aging celebrates 40 years.

Into The Elder Law Trenches At Wake Forest University School Of Law, Kate Mewhinney

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives:

1. Examine the benefits of a medical-legal partnership for training law students how to represent older clients.

2. Review common legal issues in the field of elder law.

3. Explore broader policy concerns facing an aging population.

Silver Saddles: An Equestrian Intervention For Older Adults With Dementia, Christine Jensen, Jessica Lyon, Tina Thomas, Rachel Scrivano

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Demonstrate the encouraging outcomes therapeutic horseback riding programs can have for older adults with memory loss.

2. Describe the importance of trained volunteers and staff at both the riding center and the long-term care community for aiding older adults with memory loss during the therapeutic riding program.

3. Showcase the research process and pilot results.

4. Highlight lessons learned and future directions for Silver Saddles.

Animal Cruelty And Elder Abuse, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

Continuing and expanding the American Psychological Association's guidance that those in counseling roles be alert to and ask questions about care of animals could provide some early warnings, perhaps in time to avoid harm to both animals and people. Encouraging our children to interact with kindness towards animals can’t help but pay dividends over the life course. We need to pay attention to the link of indifference or neglect of pets leading to the same with humans, with those in later life.

Palliative Care Is More Care, Not Less, Rachel Selby-Penczak

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives:

1. Discuss the origins of hospice and palliative care.

2. Compare and contrast Curative, Palliative, and Hospice Models of Care.

3. Identify when palliative care is appropriate.

Palette: An Intergenerational Art Program To Improve Health Care Delivery And Health Outcomes Of Older Adults, Sadie Rubin

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives:

1. Demonstrate the positive out-comes of the PALETTE model in training and educating health pro-fessional students in gerontological experiences.

2. Describe the partnerships devel-oped and their importance in exe-cuting PALETTE programs.

3. Highlight student experiences in intergenerational visual arts and intergenerational movement arts.

Geriatric Telemedicine: Background And Evidence For Telemedicine As A Way To Address The Challenges Of Geriatrics, Ronald C. Merrell

Surgery Publications

Objectives

The global population of elderly people is increasing at a remarkable rate, which may be expected to continue for some time. Older patients require more care, and with the current model of care delivery, the costs may be expected to rise, although higher cost is unsustainable. For this reason, a new pattern of practice is needed. Telemedicine will be presented as a highly effective and necessary tool in geriatrics.

Methods

This review will present some of the background and evidence for telemedicine as a way to address the challenges of geriatrics through geriatric telemedicine. Some of the evidence for …

Disappearing Before My Eyes, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

Dr. Edward Ansello details the last memories he made and recalled with his mother, who struggled with memory loss in later life.

Preventing Financial Exploitation, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

Financial exploitation of older adults isn’t going away. We each need to be aware and proactive.

Remembering Our Friends, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

We remember three men whose caring for others was, indeed, exceptional: Bill Egelhoff, Benny Lambert, and Frank Hall.

Available Telephone Services For Older Virginians Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Clayton E. Bowen

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives:

1. To identify signs of hearing loss in older adults.

2. To introduce the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) and some of its programs and services.

3. To examine three VDDHH services and qualification guidelines.

4. To review how service recipients benefit from these programs.

Sleep Disorders And Cardiac Consequences, Robert D. Vorona

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives:

1. Review the clear relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension.

2. Discuss the cardiac consequences of sleep apnea, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, and different dysrhythmias.

3. Understand that sleep disorders beyond obstructive sleep apnea, such as insufficient sleep itself, may have an impact on the cardiovascular system.

4. Appreciate the potential benefits of identifying and treating sleep disorders for our health.

Building Interprofessional Teams Through Evidence Based Practice Training In Falls Prevention, Constance L. Coogle, Edward F. Ansello, Patricia Slattum, Pamela L. Parsons

Case Studies from Age in Action

Objectives

1. Analyze an Evidence Based Practice (EBP) program on falls prevention as a vehicle for successful interprofessional team-building.

2. Examine ways that organizational characteristics can affect team functioning.

3. Compare interprofessional teambuilding in two sites.

4. Discuss elements of interprofessional teams that contributed to practice changes.

The Necessity Of Leisure And Physical Activity, Alison Clarke, Stephanie Goode

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Explain the value and benefit of physical and leisure activity across the lifespan, regardless of physical limitations.

2. Identify barriers to participation in physical and leisure activity.

3. Discuss strategies to engage and maintain physical and recreational activity participation.

The Lifelong Learning Institute In Chesterfield: Ten Years Of Growing, Edward F. Ansello, Monica Hughes

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To review changes in patterns of continuing learning and non-traditional education.

2. To profile membership and their interests in lifelong learning.

3. To highlight the development of the Lifelong Learning Institute of Chesterfield as a possible model for replication.

Protecting The Vulnerable: Free Ways To Prevent Financial Exploitation, Christopher Desimone

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Relate recurring patterns of perpetrators who exploit older adults.

2. Describe no-cost actions to protect assets from financial exploitation.

3. Explain differences among types of power of attorney.

Remembering Through Music: Music Therapy And Dementia, Melissa Owens

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Define music therapy and its benefits with older adults with dementia and related disorders/ diseases.

2. Describe active and passive music therapy interventions and strategies for older adult populations.

3. Identify the ways a non-musician can use music to engage older adults and mitigate some symptoms of dementia.

Medications As A Risk Factor In Falls By Older Adults With And Without Intellectual Disabilities, Patricia Slattum, Edward F. Ansello

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Review common intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for falls by older adults.

2. Compare risk factors for older adults with and without intellectual disabilities.

3. Focus on medications as a risk factor among a complexity of risk factors.

4. Suggest steps to improve appropriateness of medication regimens, as a step to help reduce risk for falls.

Virginia Post: Improving Patient- Physician Communication About End Of Life Care, Chris Pile, Laura Pole

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Examine the complexities of medical decision-making at the end of life and the inadequacy of advance directives alone to affect care at the end of life.

2. Demonstrate how effective communication can facilitate medical decision-making and improve congruency between care received and patient goals, priorities, and values.

3. Discuss the National POLST Paradigm and the current status of POST in Virginia.

Falling Down: Assessing The Risk Of Falls In Older Adults, Steven Morrison

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To provide an overview of the problems associated with falling in older adults.

2. To outline the strengths and weaknesses of the various screening tools used for effective evaluation of an individual’s fall risk.

3. To highlight the benefits of assessing physiological function when screening for falls risk.

Timeslips: Creativity For People With Dementia, Anne Davis Basting

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Recognize the value of creative storytelling for people with dementia, with its shift in emphasis from memory to imagination.

2. Understand the impact of creative storytelling upon facilitators, storytellers, audiences, and readers.

3. Explore the potential mechanisms at work in creative storytelling.

We Are Family: When Elder Abuse, Neglect, And Financial Exploitation Hit Home, Jeannie J. Beidler

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To describe a case, from discovery to prosecution, of familial abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.

2. To demonstrate gaps in elder care policy.

3. To share my experience in order to help protect the vulnerable older adults.

The Fairfax County Hoarding Task Force, Michael Congleton

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Describe the reasons for forming the Fairfax County Hoarding Task Force.

2. Explain the organizational makeup of the Hoarding Task Force.

3. Understand the risk factors in hoarding and what is being done to address them.

Hoarding Behavior In The Elderly, Henriette Kellum

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Identify the medical and mental health factors that contribute to hoarding behavior.

2. Describe the unique aspects of hoarding in the elderly.

3. Examine intervention and treatment strategies.

Arthritis And Physical Activity In Mid- And Later-Life, Nicholas Turkas

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Describe some of the more common types of arthritic conditions.

2. Discuss co-morbidities or coexisting conditions often occurring with arthritis.

3. Describe the Arthritis Foundation as a relevant resource when dealing with arthritic conditions.