Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, was awarded pilot funding from the US Deprescribing Research Network to study deprescribing bisphosphonates in nursing home residents with dementia. This pilot project will lay the foundation for further explorations of caregiver and provider perspectives and the implications of deprescribing for clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in older nursing home residents with dementia.
UNC Geriatrics clinic’s SOCO program (Student Outreach to Older Adults) began in spring 2020, just after the pandemic sent most people into near lockdown conditions. At that time there was an immediate and widespread shift to telemedicine. SOCO’s initial focus was on connecting medical students to patients, through phone calls, to troubleshoot technical problems and … Read more
Kayla Darris, a 2019 UNC Medical Students in Aging Research (MSTAR) student from the University of Arizona College of Medicine at Tucson, and Brian Diekman, PhD, assistant professor in the UNC-NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering and member of the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center, have been awarded the American Geriatrics Society’s 2020 Best Abstract … Read more
“Why are you interested in working with older adults?” For five years, students at Middletown High School in New Jersey have written essays in answer to this question in hopes of earning a $1000 scholarship. The Brown / Kraus Scholarship is sponsored annually by Cristine Henage, EdD, herself a Middletown High School graduate with a … Read more
Physical therapists and the patients who need them are facing some significant barriers to connection and care during Covid-19. No demographic has been more impacted than older adults. “People don’t want to leave their house because of exposure to Covid-19, and, they’re also wary of letting anyone into their homes,” says Vicki Tilley, PT, GCS, … Read more
Due to Covid-19, UNC Health outpatient clinics are “seeing” fewer patients physically. Though most facilities remain open to patients needing an in-person visit, the coronavirus crisis rapidly accelerates the use of telehealth via virtual visits between providers and patients. In this Q&A UNC Geriatrics Specialty Clinic’s Assistant Medical Director, Dr. Meredith Gilliam, talks about benefits and challenges of video visits.
Kevin Biese, MD, MAT, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, with co-authors, has published key information on the role of the ED in diagnosis and acute management of COVID-19 in older adults.
“More than half of older adults are exposed to polypharmacy and the unfortunate thing is that those people are more susceptible to the side effects and they’re more vulnerable to drug-drug interactions. It’s important for physicians, patients, and caregivers to realistically discuss the benefits a medication can and can’t provide, and to have a plan for de-escalating or stopping certain medications.”
UNC Geriatrics Specialty Clinic’s Social Worker Bryan Godfrey speaks with WRAL’s Liisa Ogburn on why older adults seek primary care providers with geriatrics expertise. “Our providers are physicians with certifications in internal or family medicine, but they also have specialized training in geriatrics. This means they are especially attuned to the challenges older adults often face and particularly skilled in helping patients and families prepare for the road ahead.”
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 … Read more