UNC's Center for Aging and Health helps older adults live well longer.
The Center for Aging and Health
The Center for Aging and Health supports the Division of Geriatric Medicine in its mission to provide the highest quality of clinical care to older patients; connect families and caregivers with community resources; and train the next generation of Geriatricians.
But we don’t stop there. Improving care for older adults means training different types of providers – including dentists, pharmacists, cardiologists, and oncologists – in best practices of geriatric medicine that are grounded in research, informed by patient priorities, and guided by compassion.
Whether you’re a medical resident applying to our Fellowship programs, a Triangle resident looking to become a patient, or a clinician taking our courses, the Center for Aging and Health can connect you to the right resources for aging well.
News | Impact | Outreach
Lowering Overmedication in Nursing Home Patients with Severe Dementia
A recent study from Assistant Professor Joshua Niznik, PhD, PharmD, Division of Geriatric Medicine, in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society suggests de-prescribing Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (AChEls) as a reasonable approach to lowering polypharmacy and risk of serious falls or fractures without increasing risk for all-cause negative events in nursing home residents with severe dementia. Co-authors … Continued
Dr. Meredith Gilliam and Falls Prevention on WRAL
Meredith Gilliam, MD, MPH, was recently interviewed on WRAL about falls prevention for older adults. According to NC’s Division of Public Health, one quarter of North Carolinians 65 and over will fall in a year. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in adults 65+, causing 1,094 deaths, 18,771 hospitalizations, and 78,799 Emergency Department visits in 2017.
Dementia Friendly Training Featured in Modern Healthcare
Dementia patients “often forget where they are and that they are not in their home,” says Maureen Dale, MD, in Modern Health Care. “When clinicians are coming in and out of their room to do their job, it can be alarming.” Busby-Whitehead emphasizes that after the training, many staff members feel more confident speaking with patients and reorienting them.
Geriatric Medicine Celebrates Three-Year Anniversary in Hillsborough
The opening of UNC Hospital’s Hillsborough Campus in 2015 provided a unique opportunity for medicine services to expand. Ron Falk, MD, chair of the department of medicine, envisioned a service that could be accessible and comfortable to the geriatric population, combining specialized geriatric care with all of the amenities at UNC Hospital’s new Hillsborough Campus.
From Dr. Jan Busby-Whitehead
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We’re the big picture doctors.
“Geriatricians take a holistic view of the patient. We provide care that is focused on the functional activities of daily living. A patient’s chronological age is not important, their functional age is what matters. What can people do? What do they want and need to do?” Read more
Mary and Thomas Hudson Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Director, Center for Aging and Health | Chief, Division of Geriatric Medicine