IU GERIATRICS electronic news for January 2003

The IU Geriatrics Program and the IU Center for Aging Research call your attention to January presentations by Visiting Professor Marcos Montagnini, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He is Medical Director of the Palliative Care Program at the Zablocki VA Medical Center where he directs the Interprofessional Fellowship in Palliative Care. He will present:

"Palliative Care: Clinical Perspective" at Noon Conference, Tuesday, January 21, in C1202 at Roudebush VAMC

"Pain Management in Older Adults" at IU Geriatrics Conference, Wednesday, January 22, 7:30-8:30am in Wishard 2008A/B

Neil B. Oldridge, PhD, has accepted a newly created position in the Center for Urban Population Health in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The center is a joint effort among the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Aurora Health Care. Neil stepped down from his position as Associate Director of the Center for Aging Research and as Research Scientist in the Regenstrief Institute as of December 31, 2002. Since his appointment in 1998, IUCAR has more than doubled in size in terms of the number of research faculty, the number of scientific publications, and the amount of extramural funding. A truly valuable colleague, Neil was involved in the center's early program development and in our efforts to build a research focus around physical activity. Many of us found good counsel through his level-headedness, good cheer, and international perspective. This is an exciting new challenge for Neil, and we wish him every success in this endeavor.

NEW GRANTS

Gregory Gramelspacher, MD, Director of Wishard Health Services' Palliative Care Program announces the program received a grant from the St. Margaret's Guild to fund a full time nurse practitioner. Combined with support from the Efroymson Fund, the position will significantly expand the ability of Wishard's Palliative Care Program to care for indigent patients who are terminally ill through timely referral to hospice and palliative care.

Principal Investigator Colleen McHorney, PhD, was awarded funding for "Development and Validation of a Measure of Patient Preference for Diabetes Treatment" by Eli Lilly and Company, Inc. Co-investigators are Teresa Damush, PhD, and David Marrero, PhD.

PUBLICATIONS

Unutzer J, Katon W, Callahan CM, et al (Counsell SR, Dickens J, Hendrie HC, Kroenke K, Steinmetz CA). Collaborative care management of late-life depression in the primary care setting: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002; 288(22):2836-45.

Desai PP, Hendrie HC, Evans RM, Murrell JR, DeKosky ST, Kamboh MI. Genetic variation in apolipoprotein D affects the risk of Alzheimer disease in African-Americans. Am J Med Genet. 2003 Jan 1;116(1 Suppl):98-101.

Baiyewu O, Unverzagt FW, Ogunniyi A, Hall KS, Gureje O, Gao S, Lane KA, Hendrie HC. Cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older Nigerians: clinical correlates and stability of diagnosis. Eur J Neurol. 2002 Nov;9(6):573-80.

Lahiri DK, Kotwal GJ, Farlow MR, Sima A, Kupsky W, Sarkar FH, Sambamurti K. The role of the carboxyl-terminal fragments of amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2002 Nov;973:334-9.

PRESENTATIONS

Glenda Westmoreland, MD, MPH, presented "The Effect of Web-Based Training and Activated Standardized Patients on Residents' Practice Patterns with Older Patients" at the annual meeting of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Steven Counsell, MD, contributed to "Wanted: More students trained in geriatrics," a Your Health feature in Indianapolis Prime Times. The December 2002 article underscored the current and future shortage of health care professionals trained in geriatric medicine and the implications of that shortage. Steve provided details about how Indiana's supply of geriatricians compares to other midwestern states and the U.S. In a comment about IU's growth in geriatrics training and clinical programs, he noted that "the geriatrics program at IU has experienced a tremendous amount of growth in the past five years....I think we must place a higher priority on geriatrics and getting up front in preventing decline [in function among seniors]. That's a lot of what geriatrics can bring."

Michael Weiner, MD, MPH, and the Internet-based video conferencing trial he leads were cited in "Telemedicine puts aid as close as the phone," a December 9, 2002 Indianapolis Star article that highlighted examples of how telemedicine is being put into use in Indianapolis. The trial, "Indianapolis Network for Next Generation Internet (NGI) Applications to Telemedicine," takes place at Lockefield Village Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center where a portable video conferencing work station can be wheeled into a resident's room and images transmitted to the on-call doctor's off-site computer.

Christopher Callahan, MD, IMPACT site PI in Indianapolis, and Hugh Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc, co-investigator, contributed to a December 11, 2002, front page article in the Indianapolis Star entitled, "Team approach aids depressed seniors." The article highlighted the results from IMPACT, Improving Mood--Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment. The multi-site study included older adults seen through Wishard Health Services' primary care clinics and found "that when a team approach was used to address depression, participants were more than twice as likely to show improvement than a control group." Physical functioning and quality of life also improved.

Amna Buttar, MD, MS, was quoted in Living longer & better, a December 22nd Indianapolis Star article that emphasized exercise and weight control as keys to adding quality to senior years. Dr. Buttar noted the shortage of geriatricians and other health-care professionals trained to provide the specialized care required by older patients. "American society in general is not preparing enough" for the coming surge in frail 80- and 90-year-olds, Buttar added. The article also noted her concern about many people, soon to be 60 and 70 and in the sandwich generation, who will be caring for frail elderly parents.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The IU Geriatrics Conference on January 15, 2003 features Rudy Yung, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology. He will present "Diagnosis and Treatment of Glaucoma and Cataracts" in Wishard T2008 A&B from 7:30-8:30am.

Visiting Professor Marcos Montagnini, MD, will present "Palliative Care: Clinical Perspective" at the Noon Conference on Tuesday, January 21, in C1202 at Roudebush VAMC.

Dr. Montagnini will present "Pain Management in Older Adults" at the IU Geriatrics Conference Wednesday, January 22, 7:30-8:30am in Wishard 2008A/B.

Join us at the next Aging Research Work in Progress January 28, 8-9am, when Michael Weiner, MD, MPH, will present "A New Proposal for Studying Primary-Care Physicians' Adherence to Recommendations of Inpatient Geriatrics Consultation." WIP meets at the VA in D6005.

The IU Geriatrics Conference on February 5 will feature Greg Gramelspacher, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Palliative Care Program, Wishard Health Services. He will present "End-of-Life Care for Older Adults" in Wishard T2008 A&B from 7:30-8:30am.