IU GERIATRICS e-news for August 2006
A newsletter from IU Geriatrics and the IU Center for Aging Research

GRACE Team Suggestions Available on IUCAR Website
Principal Investigator Steven R. Counsell, MD, and co-investigators have published a feasibility study of the Geriatrics Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) model. GRACE is a system-level primary care intervention developed to improve quality and outcomes of care for low-income older adults.
   The GRACE support team implemented the model using GRACE Interdisciplinary Team Suggestions which are now available on the IU Center for Aging Research website.
GRACE Patient & Support Team Member
   

ACE Consults at Methodist Hospital Rated “Excellent”
Dr. Youcef Sennour and nurse practitioner, Jerrlyn Jones, continue to see an increasing demand for their ACE Consults at Methodist Hospital. Partnering with Methodist-based hospitalists and cardiologists, ACE Consults provide proactive geriatric specialty care to prevent functional decline and optimize hospital outcomes in patients 70 or older.
    ACE Consult data from 2005 again have revealed improved quality of care for common geriatric conditions, decreased length of stay and lower hospital costs in patients receiving an ACE Consult compared to those that do not have ACE Consult Service involvement.  Physician satisfaction is rated "excellent" overall. The only complaint is that there is "not enough of them"!  Preliminary approval has been given for plans to expand ACE Consults with the recruitment of an additional geriatrician and nurse practitioner in the coming year.
 
Residents Enhance Geriatrics Skills in GENI
As part of the Geriatrics Education Network of Indiana(GENI), a self-selected group of PGY-2 and 3 residents will be participating in a longitudinal long term care experience or completing a geriatrics quality improvement (QI) project. The residents will work closely with our geriatricians following panels of older adults in extended care or housecalls over a 12-month time period.
   The residents will receive a $100 gift card for the IU Medical Bookstore and an opportunity to win an iPOD.  GENI is very pleased to have some of our residents participating in new educational/clinical activities as we continue to learn how best to teach geriatrics. 
GENI logo
 

PUBLICATIONS
Weiner M, Quwatli Z, Perkins AJ, Lewis JN, Callahan CM.  Limitation of a single clinical data source for measuring physicians' performance on quality indicators.  J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006 Aug;54(8):1256-60.

Hendrie HC, Murrell J, Gao S, Unverzagt FW, Ogunniyi A, Hall KS. International studies in dementia with particular emphasis on populations of African origin. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2006 July/September;20 Suppl 2:S42-S46.

Hui SL, Koller DL, Foroud TM, Econs MJ, Johnston CC, Peacock M. Heritability of changes in bone size and bone mass with age in premenopausal white sisters. J Bone Miner Res. 2006 Jul;21(7):1121-5.

Bakas T, Kroenke K, Plue LD, Perkins S, Williams LS.  Outcomes among family caregivers of aphasic versus non-aphasic stroke survivors.  Rehabil Nurs. 2006 Jan-Feb;31(1):33-42.

Williams LS, Bakas T, Brizendine E, Plue L, Tu W, Hendrie H, Kroenke K. How valid are family proxy assessments of stroke patients' health-related quality of life? Stroke. 2006 Aug;37(8):2081-5.

Russell KM, Champion VL, Skinner CS. Psychosocial factors related to repeat mammography screening over 5 years in African American women. Cancer Nurs. 2006 May-Jun;29(3):236-43.

Shen J, Gao S, Unverzagt FW, Ogunniyi A, Baiyewu O, Gureje O, Hendrie HC, Hall KS. Validation analysis of informant's ratings of cognitive function in African Americans and Nigerians. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Jul;21(7):618-25.

 

PRESENTATIONS
Yansheng Du, PhD, presented "Abeta-Antibodies in Serum and CSF as Potential Marker of Biological Activity in Alzheimer Disease” in the Diagnosis and Clinical Course Biomarkers Symposium and presented the poster “Association of a Functional Variant (I89V) in the High Affinity Choline Transporter with Alzheimer Disease” at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ICAD) held July 15-20, 2006, in Madrid, Spain.

Teresa Damush, PhD, presented two Cyber Seminars on topics related to the Stroke QUERI.  On June 9, 2006, she presented “Post Stroke Depression and Patient Self-Management,” a part of the VA HSR&D series “Methods and Tools for Formative Evaluation in QUERI Implementation Research.”
   On July 21, 2006, she presented “Assessing Strategies to Support Self-Management of Blood Pressure after Stroke,” a part of the VA HSRD series “Findings and Lessons Learned from Formative Evaluation in QUERI Implementation Research.”
   The Cyber Seminars are a product of the VA HSR&D National Center for Information Dissemination and Educational Resources and are available 24/7 as live web conferences and as on demand archived presentations.
 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Douglas K. Miller, MD, attended the 32nd Seminar on the Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease held in Tahoe City, California on July 23 - August 4, 2006.  Faculty in epidemiology, preventive cardiology and biostatistics presented a series of discussions, lectures and laboratory and tutorial sessions that illustrated basic principles and their application, with extensive group participation.  Approximately 20 faculty members and 30 selected candidates participated in the seminar.

Glenda Westmoreland, MD, MPH, was a presenter at the “Negotiating with Patients and Learners” workshop on August 23, 2006, at the Faculty Enrichment and Education Development (FEED) Series hosted by the IU Department of Medicine. The workshop explored three approaches that clinicians and teachers may find useful in their daily encounters with patients and learners.  FEED is a quarterly series designed to improve teaching skills in a collegial and fun environment and to continue the department’s commitment to provide the highest quality learning environment for medical students, residents and fellows.
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chris Callahan, MD, will present “PADDRE: Partnership for Alzheimer Disease and Depression Research” at the September 5, 2006, IU Center for Aging Research Work in Progress held from 8:30-9:30am in the Regenstrief  6th floor boardroom.  Dr. Callahan is the Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Professor in Aging Research and director of the IU Center for Aging Research. 

John L. Pipas, President & CEO of VNS Healthcare System, will present "Hi-Tech, Hi-Touch: Creating a Balanced Approach Model for Home & Hospice Care" at the IU Geriatrics Conference held September 6 from 7:30-8:30 am in Wishard T2008 A&B.  Mr. Pipas is a member of the Community Advisory Board for IU Geriatrcs, the IU Roybal Center and the IU Center for Aging Research.

Dan Clark, PhD, will present the program “Take Charge Lite” at the September 19, 2006, IU Center for Aging Research Work in Progress held from 8:30-9:30am in the Regenstrief 6th floor boardroom.  Dr. Clark is associate professor of medicine in the IU Department of Medicine and is a scientist in the IU Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc.

Chi Wah (Rudy) Yung, MD, will present the IU Geriatrics Conference on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, from 7:30-8:30 am in Wishard T2008 A&B.  Dr. Yung is associate professor and vice chair of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Ophthalmology, IUSM.  He is medical director of the Regenstrief Eye Clinic and chief of the Ophthalmology Service at Wishard Health Services.

Michael Weiner, MD, MPH, will present Medicine Grand Rounds titled "Gero-Informatics: How Information Systems Help Us Take Better Care of Older Patients" on October 25, 2006, at 8:30am in Wishard’s Myers Auditorium.  Dr. Weiner is associate professor of medicine in the IU Department of Medicine and directs Gero-Informatics at IU Geriatrics.  He is a scientist in the IU Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc.