A pen pal program during COVID-19 pandemic increases student interest for careers in geriatrics.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious issues facing older adults that have been intensified during COVID-19. Through a pen pal program, we connected 69 healthcare professional students with 180 older adults in our community to help reduce social isolation and loneliness. Participants were connected through letters, e-mails, and phone calls for three months. At the end of the program, we surveyed students (response rate: 62%). Half of the students reported spending less than 20 minutes per week on the project. Of the survey respondents roughly 91% were white, 74.4% were enrolled in the College of Medicine, and 51.1% were in their first year of their respective program. Students increased their knowledge of social isolation and loneliness (p = .0001), their interest in volunteering (p = .018) and working with older adults (p = .028), and their comfort communicating with older adults (p = .002). Students reported that their wellness improved and that they practiced skills that would be used in their future careers. By providing volunteer experiences to students, we can increase their exposure to the geriatric population, hopefully increasing the number of students who enter geriatrics while simultaneously reducing social isolation and loneliness in older adults.

A Robotic Device to Enhance Nursing Home Provider Telepresence During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to face-to-face communication with people residing in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. Telemedicine is an alternative, but facility staff may be overburdened with the management of the equipment. Here we introduce the use of a mobile HIPPA-compliant telepresence robot (MTR) to bridge this barrier, which may be beneficial to reimagine options for PALTC in the future.

Translating the REACH OUT dementia caregiver intervention into a primary care setting: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The current study translated the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health: Offering Useful Treatments (REACH OUT), a skills-building stress and burden intervention, for the primary care setting and pilot the resulting intervention. METHODS: The 16-week intervention consisted of a combination of clinic-based group and one-on-one sessions offered within a medical home, geriatrics clinic. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test study design without a control group tested the resulting intervention. Semi-structured qualitative exit interviews evaluated program satisfaction. RESULTS: Twenty-five caregivers participated in one of four intervention groups; 21 caregivers completed the intervention (attended at least five of six group sessions). Caregiver burden on standardized assessments was significantly reduced between pre- and post-intervention, specifically for physical/emotional strain and caregiving uncertainty. Significant reductions were found in the frequency of reported disruptive behaviors; increased caregiver confidence in handling behavior problem frequency, depressive symptoms, disruptive behaviors, and memory-related problems; and decreased bother with respect to behavioral problem frequency and care recipient depression. Program satisfaction was high. CONCLUSION: This work suggests that the REACH OUT program can be successfully modified for use within a primary-care medical home setting.

Effects of aging on the relationship between cognitive demand and step variability during dual-task walking.

A U-shaped relationship between cognitive demand and gait control may exist in dual-task situations, reflecting opposing effects of external focus of attention and attentional resource competition. The purpose of the study was twofold: to examine whether gait control, as evaluated from step-to-step variability, is related to cognitive task difficulty in a U-shaped manner and to determine whether age modifies this relationship. Young and older adults walked on a treadmill without attentional requirement and while performing a dichotic listening task under three attention conditions: non-forced (NF), forced-right (FR), and forced-left (FL). The conditions increased in their attentional demand and requirement for inhibitory control. Gait control was evaluated by the variability of step parameters related to balance control (step width) and rhythmic stepping pattern (step length and step time). A U-shaped relationship was found for step width variability in both young and older adults and for step time variability in older adults only. Cognitive performance during dual tasking was maintained in both young and older adults. The U-shaped relationship, which presumably results from a trade-off between an external focus of attention and competition for attentional resources, implies that higher-level cognitive processes are involved in walking in young and older adults. Specifically, while these processes are initially involved only in the control of (lateral) balance during gait, they become necessary for the control of (fore-aft) rhythmic stepping pattern in older adults, suggesting that attentional resources turn out to be needed in all facets of walking with aging. Finally, despite the cognitive resources required by walking, both young and older adults spontaneously adopted a "posture second" strategy, prioritizing the cognitive task over the gait task.

Preparing Corrections Staff for the Future: Results of a 2-Day Training About Aging Inmates.

The aging of the prison population presents corrections staff with unique challenges in knowing how to support inmates while maintaining security. This article describes a 2-day training program to introduce the aging process to select staff at all levels. While the results of a pre-posttest measure, using a modified version of Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz, did not produce a statistically significant difference at the conclusion of the training, attendees did express satisfaction with the training and their newfound insight into the challenges faced by aging inmates. They also offered recommendations for future training to include more practical suggestions for the work environment.

Measuring functional recovery in older patients discharged from intensive care units: is advanced technology an option?

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if older patients discharged from intensive care units (ICU) would be willing to use mobile phone and sensor technology (aka "mobile monitoring") to measure their functional recovery in the posthospitalization period. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 older ICU patients and/or their surrogates 24 to 48 hr prior to hospital discharge. While 11 respondents reported they would agree to participate in a future study involving mobile monitoring, an equal number reported they would not participate. Numerous contextual factors were found to affect older adults' willingness to participate including the belief the research would ultimately benefit themselves or other older adults, concerns about loss of privacy, perception that the research is feasible and valuable, and lack of skills using the technology. Future studies using the mobile monitoring technique with older survivors of a serious illness will require substantial recruitment and educational efforts.

The effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on cognition in patients with Alzheimer's dementia: a prospective withdrawal and rechallenge pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Statins are well-known for their cardiovascular benefits. However, the cognitive effects of statins are not well understood. We hypothesized that individuals with preexisting dementia would be more vulnerable to statin-related cognitive effects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on cognition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) discontinuation and rechallenge in individuals with Alzheimer's dementia (AD) on statins at baseline. METHODS: A 12-week prospective, open-label study was conducted in a geriatric clinic setting. Eighteen older subjects underwent a 6-week withdrawal phase of statins followed by a 6-week rechallenge. The primary outcome measure was cognition, measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); secondary outcome measures were the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, Instrumental ADL (IADL) scale, and fasting cholesterol. The change in outcome measures was assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA and paired t tests. RESULTS: At the end of the intervention, there was a significant difference across time for MMSE score (P = 0.018), and total cholesterol (P = 0.0002) and a trend toward change across time for ADL (P = 0.07) and IADL (P = 0.06) scale scores. Further analyses using paired t tests indicated improvement in MMSE scores (Δ1.9 [3.0], P = 0.014) with discontinuation of statins and a decrease in MMSE scores (Δ1.9 [2.7], P = 0.007) after rechallenge. Total cholesterol increased with statin discontinuation (P = 0.0003) and decreased with rechallenge (P = 0.0007). The CERAD score did not show a change across time (P = 0.31). There was a trend toward improvement in ADL (P = 0.07) and IADL (P = 0.06) scale scores with discontinuation of statins, but no change with rechallenge. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study found an improvement in cognition with discontinuation of statins and worsening with rechallenge. Statins may adversely affect cognition in patients with dementia.

Use of motor abundance in young and older adults during dual-task treadmill walking.

Motor abundance allows individuals to perform any task reliably while being variable in movement's particulars. The study investigated age-related differences in this feature when young adults (YA) and older adults (OA) performed challenging tasks, namely treadmill walking alone and while performing a cognitive task. A goal function for treadmill walking was first defined, i.e., maintain constant speed at each step, which led to a goal equivalent manifold (GEM) containing all combinations of step time and step length that equally satisfied the function. Given the GEM, amounts of goal-equivalent and non-goal-equivalent variability were afterwards determined and used to define an index providing information about the set of effective motor solutions relative to the GEM. The set was limited in OA compared to YA in treadmill walking alone, indicating that OA made less flexible use of motor abundance than YA. However, this differentiation between YA and OA disappeared when concurrently performing the cognitive task. It is proposed that OA might have benefited from cognitive compensation.

Treadmill gait speeds correlate with physical activity counts measured by cell phone accelerometers.

A number of important health-related outcomes are directly related to a person's ability to maintain normal gait speed. We hypothesize that cellular telephones may be repurposed to measure this important behavior in a noninvasive, continuous, precise, and inexpensive manner. The purpose of this study was to determine if physical activity (PA) counts collected by cell phone accelerometers could measure treadmill gait speeds. We also assessed how cell phone placement influenced treadmill gait speed measures. Participants included 55 young, middle-aged, and older community-dwelling men and women. We placed cell phones as a pendant around the neck, and on the left and right wrist, hip, and ankle. Subjects then completed an individualized treadmill protocol, alternating 1 min rest periods with 5 min of walking at different speeds (0.3-11.3 km/h; 0.2-7 mi/h). No persons were asked to walk at speeds faster than what they would achieve during day-to-day life. PA counts were calculated from all sensor locations. We built linear mixed statistical models of PA counts predicted by treadmill speeds ranging from 0.8 to 6.4 km/h (0.5-4 mi/h) while accounting for subject age, weight, and gender. We solved linear regression equations for treadmill gait speed, expressed as a function of PA counts, age, weight, and gender. At all locations, cell phone PA counts were strongly associated with treadmill gait speed. Cell phones worn at the hip yielded the best predictive model. We conclude that in both men and women, cell phone derived activity counts strongly correlate with treadmill gait speed over a wide range of subject ages and weights.

Cellular telephones measure activity and lifespace in community-dwelling adults: proof of principle.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a system that uses off-the-shelf sensor and telecommunication technologies to continuously measure individual lifespace and activity levels in a novel way. DESIGN: Proof of concept involving three field trials of 30, 30, and 21 days. SETTING: Omaha, Nebraska, metropolitan and surrounding rural region. PARTICIPANTS: Three participants (48-year-old man, 33-year-old woman, and 27-year-old male), none with any functional limitations. MEASUREMENTS: Cellular telephones were used to detect in-home position and in-community location and to measure physical activity. Within the home, cellular telephones and Bluetooth transmitters (beacons) were used to locate participants at room-level resolution. Outside the home, the same cellular telephones and global positioning system (GPS) technology were used to locate participants at a community-level resolution. Physical activity was simultaneously measured using the cellular telephone accelerometer. RESULTS: This approach had face validity to measure activity and lifespace. More importantly, this system could measure the spatial and temporal organization of these metrics. For example, an individual's lifespace was automatically calculated across multiple time intervals. Behavioral time budgets showing how people allocate time to specific regions within the home were also automatically generated. CONCLUSION: Mobile monitoring shows much promise as an easily deployed system to quantify activity and lifespace, important indicators of function, in community-dwelling adults.

Methylphenidate for apathy and functional status in dementia of the Alzheimer type.

OBJECTIVE: Apathy is the most common behavioral problem in persons with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Treatment of apathy in DAT is not systematically studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the response of apathy to methylphenidate treatment and to examine whether functional status improved. METHODS: The authors conducted a 12-week open-labeled study with immediate release formulation of methylphenidate. Twenty-three patients with DAT scoring >40 on the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) were recruited. Repeated measures analysis of variance and correlation analysis were performed. RESULTS: None of the patients dropped out of the study because of adverse events. Significant improvement in apathy was noted during 12 weeks. Significant improvement was also noted in depression, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and functional status. There was no correlation between changes in the AES and depression scores. CONCLUSIONS: Methylphenidate was well tolerated in these patients with DAT. Apathy improved with the use of methylphenidate.

Weight loss treatment in long-term care:are outcomes improved with oral supplements and appetite stimulants?.

Unintentional weight loss is a common problem that leads to adverse health outcomes in the long-term care setting. Although depression and adverse drug reactions are the commonest causes, weight loss is multi-factorial and often does not resolve just with a single intervention. Several strategies such as diet modification, addition of flavor enhancers, nutritional supplements and appetite stimulants are commonly used for unintentional weight loss. We present here a review of studies examining the role of such strategies in the treatment of unintentional weight loss.

Simvastatin-induced decline in cognition.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of new-onset cognitive difficulties in an older patient after initiation of simvastatin therapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old man developed cognitive difficulties within one week after starting simvastatin 40 mg/day. There was a 3 point decline from baseline in the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score 2 weeks after simvastatin was initiated, as well as declines in the Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scales. Simvastatin was discontinued, and the patient's cognition improved to baseline within 6 weeks. Rechallenge with simvastatin at half the original dose was attempted. His cognition deteriorated over a 2 week period. Simvastatin was stopped, and the patient's MMSE scores returned to baseline within 4 weeks. DISCUSSION: This patient developed new-onset problems with short-term memory, long-term memory, and item misplacement in addition to the baseline problems with names and word-finding that had been present prior to beginning statin therapy. Decreased cognition identified with neuropsychological tests has been shown in clinical trials with simvastatin; however, as of August 23, 2006, this is the first report of cognitive and functional problems that have been documented using standardized instruments. The Naranjo probability scale revealed a highly probable adverse reaction of cognitive decline associated with simvastatin therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Statins are commonly used in the older population. Simvastatin appeared to be associated with worsened cognition in our patient, an older person with preexisting memory problems. Statins should be used with caution in this vulnerable population.

Caring for older Americans: the future of geriatric medicine.

In response to the needs and demands of an aging population, geriatric medicine has grown rapidly during the past 3 decades. The discipline has defined its core values as well as the knowledge base and clinical skills needed to improve the health, functioning, and well-being of older persons and to provide appropriate palliative care. Geriatric medicine has developed new models of care, advanced the treatment of common geriatric conditions, and advocated for the health and health care of older persons. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 21st century, the health care of older persons is at a crossroads. Despite the substantial progress that geriatric medicine has made, much more remains to be done to meet the healthcare needs of our aging population. The clinical, educational, and research approaches of the 20th century are unable to keep pace and require major revisions. Maintaining the status quo will mean falling further and further behind. The healthcare delivery and financing systems need fundamental redesign to improve quality and eliminate waste. The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Task Force on the Future of Geriatric Medicine has identified five goals aimed at optimizing the health of older persons: To ensure that every older person receives high-quality, patient-centered health care; To expand the geriatrics knowledge base; To increase the number of healthcare professionals who employ the principles of geriatric medicine in caring for older persons; To recruit physicians and other healthcare professionals into careers in geriatric medicine; To unite professional and lay groups in the effort to influence public policy to continually improve the health and health care of seniors. Geriatric medicine cannot accomplish these goals alone. Accordingly, the Task Force has articulated a set of recommendations primarily aimed at the government, organizations, agencies, foundations, and other partners whose collaboration will be essential in accomplishing these goals. The vision described in this document and the accompanying recommendations are only the broad outline of an agenda for the future. Geriatric medicine, through its professional organizations and its partners, will need to mobilize resources to identify and implement the specific steps that will make the vision a reality. Doing so will require broad participation, consensus building, creativity, and perseverance. The consequences of inaction will be profound. The combination of a burgeoning number of older persons and an inadequately prepared, poorly organized physician workforce is a recipe for expensive, fragmented health care that does not meet the needs of our older population. By virtue of their unique skills and advocacy for the health of older persons, geriatricians can be key leaders of change to achieve the goals of geriatric medicine and optimize the health of our aging population. Nevertheless, the goals of geriatric medicine will be accomplished only if geriatricians and their partners work in a system that is designed to provide high-quality, efficient care and recognizes the value of geriatrics.

Development of a rapid autopsy program for studies of brain immunity.

Human glia are essential cellular models used for studies of neurodegenerative diseases. Fetal neuroglia are commonly used, as they can be recovered in large quantities and sustained for long periods in culture. However, fetal neuroglia may have limitations in reflecting adult diseases and additionally can pose ethical issues in translating products of abortion for research use. To address these concerns, we developed a rapid autopsy program to procure age- and disease-specific neuroglia from adult brain tissues within hours of death. The challenges in developing this initiative, reflecting experiences from 69 autopsies over 4 years, are presented.

Geriatrics for residents in the surgical and medical specialties: implementation of curricula and training experiences.

In 1994, under the leadership of the late Dennis Jahnigen, the American Geriatrics Society, with support of the John A. Hartford Foundation, began a project to improve the amount and quality of geriatrics education that surgical and related medical specialty residents receive. The targeted disciplines initially were general surgery, emergency medicine, gynecology, orthopedic surgery, and urology and, later, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and thoracic surgery. A key element of this project was to develop model programs within surgical and related specialty residency education. The Geriatrics Education for Specialty Residents (GESR) program has supported 29 residencies to pilot methods for integration of geriatrics within residency programs, encouraged and inspired development of curricular content, and helped to develop faculty leaders to support these efforts in the long term and at a national level. This paper describes the GESR program, the status of curriculum development, steps for other programs to use in developing a geriatrics education program, and some of the common barriers likely to be encountered during implementation along with solutions to those barriers.