Geriatric Care Boot Camp: An Interprofessional Education Program for Healthcare Professionals

In response to the need for interprofessional geriatrics education, a half‐day geriatric care boot camp for healthcare professionals was held that covered core concepts in geriatric medicine: delirium and dementia, medication management, palliative care, ethics, and a general overview of older adults. Aspects of the curriculum focused on interprofessional education, and the attendees and presenters were healthcare professionals from a wide variety of fields. Primary objectives were to determine changes in knowledge of core concepts in geriatrics and level of comfort in caring for older adults. Secondary objectives assessed whether participants found the interprofessional approach beneficial and whether they used or shared this information with others in their professional activities. Participants completed pre‐ and postassessment surveys. Changes in participant understanding of each core concept were statistically significant, as was the change in comfort level of participants in caring for older adults. Furthermore, attendees found the multidisciplinary perspective of the boot camp beneficial. A 3‐month follow‐up survey assessed whether attendees applied and shared information learned in their own professional activities. Half of the respondents who reported sharing universally shared core concepts. Delirium and dementia information was most frequently shared. Information was most frequently shared with students, nurses, and patients’ families. Attendees less frequently shared, or did not share, with physicians, physician assistants, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, nutritionists, and dentists. The healthcare professionals who may benefit greatly from future education programs are those with whom the boot camp information was least frequently shared; thus, they are appropriate targets for advertisements for future programs.     

The Relative Value Unit in Academic Geriatrics: Incentive or Impediment?

Although the number of older adults is rapidly expanding, the number of healthcare professionals trained in geriatrics is small and declining. The reasons are multifaceted, but because responsibility for training such professionals resides largely in academic health centers (AHCs), their support for geriatrics is critical. As AHCs face increasing financial pressure, many are seeking metrics to measure productivity and the Relative Value Unit (RVU) may be the one most commonly selected. Yet little is known about the RVU's effect on geriatric programs. Review of the literature and a survey of the leaders of the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs suggest that the advantages of an RVU‐based metric are likely eclipsed by its negative impact on the care of older adults, the ability of academic geriatrics to accomplish its mission, and even the survival of geriatrics. If the RVU is to continue to be used as the index of productivity, it should be modified—by reweighting its codes (or by adding new ones)—and complemented by interventions to ensure patient access, care quality, and efficiency. Because an alternative metric, such as a Patient‐based Value Unit may be preferable, this article describes the principles on which one might be based. Regardless, urgent action is required by all stakeholders to address this issue. Without it, the future of academic geriatrics—and with it the innovative care models, research, and training the nation needs to improve care and bend the cost curve—will be difficult if not impossible to sustain.     

American Geriatrics Society Policy Priorities for New Administration and 115th Congress

This paper is a statement of the American Geriatrics Society's (AGS) core policy priorities and the Society's positions on federal programs and policies that support older Americans as articulated to the new administration. Among the AGS priorities discussed in this paper are health reform, Medicare, and Medicaid. The AGS is committed to leveraging its expertise to inform regulatory and legislative policy proposals.     

Gait and Cognition: A Complementary Approach to Understanding Brain Function and the Risk of Falling

Until recently, clinicians and researchers have performed gait assessments and cognitive assessments separately when evaluating older adults, but increasing evidence from clinical practice, epidemiological studies, and clinical trials shows that gait and cognition are interrelated in older adults. Quantifiable alterations in gait in older adults are associated with falls, dementia, and disability. At the same time, emerging evidence indicates that early disturbances in cognitive processes such as attention, executive function, and working memory are associated with slower gait and gait instability during single‐ and dual‐task testing and that these cognitive disturbances assist in the prediction of future mobility loss, falls, and progression to dementia. This article reviews the importance of the interrelationship between gait and cognition in aging and presents evidence that gait assessments can provide a window into the understanding of cognitive function and dysfunction and fall risk in older people in clinical practice. To this end, the benefits of dual‐task gait assessments (e.g., walking while performing an attention‐demanding task) as a marker of fall risk are summarized. A potential complementary approach for reducing the risk of falls by improving certain aspects of cognition through nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatments is also presented. Untangling the relationship between early gait disturbances and early cognitive changes may be helpful in identifying older adults at risk of experiencing mobility decline, falls, and progression to dementia.