November/December 2012

November/December 2012

• Dementia and DSM-5: Changes, Cost, and Confusion
  Diagnostic criteria for dementia will be updated in 2013, but embracing the umbrella term “cognitive disorders” is not without controversy.
• Innovative Stroke Rehabilitation
  Robotic therapies are effective in helping stroke patients regain function while limiting disability.
• Emerging Technologies for Chronic Disease Care
  The national health policy organization NEHI identifies the technologies with the greatest potential to improve care and reduce costs for providers, patients, and payers.
• Critical Aspects of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
  Variations in older adults’ health status increase the challenge of accurate cancer diagnoses. The lack of data from elder-specific clinical trials exacerbates the problem.

Departments

From the Editor
Embracing Change

Clinical News
Elevated TSH Levels: To Treat or Not to Treat?

Medication Monitor
Sliding-Scale Insulin: An Ineffective Practice

Innovations in Geriatrics
Telemedicine Facilitates ‘House Calls’

Datebook

Nutrition
Elimination Diet May Relieve IBS Symptoms

Vintage Voices
Recruiting Patients for Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials

September/October 2012

September/October 2012

• Reducing Fall Risk
  Evaluate patients’ strength, balance, and mobility to determine fall risk and develop exercise therapies to prevent decline.
• Careful Attention to Aging Skin
  Dry skin may result from aging or signify an underlying condition. Because it can lead to other skin complications, it’s important to monitor carefully.
• Focus on Proactive Treatment
  An interview with James T. Pacala, MD, president of the American Geriatrics Society
• Product & Service Showcase

Departments

From the Editor
Contemporary Strategic Challenges

Medication Monitor
Reducing the Risk of Warfarin-Related Hospitalizations

Alzheimer’s Update
Alzheimer’s Staggering Financial Impact

Research Review
Innovative Sensor to Stop Falls

Datebook

Long Term Care
Making the Case for Antipsychotics Use

Vintage Voices
Aging in Place: Lessons From the Sunshine State

July/August 2012

July/August 2012

• Collaborative Care Is Key to Reducing Hospitalizations
  Hospitals and healthcare practitioners must focus on establishing patient-centered, quality-based initiatives that reduce hospital-acquired infections and length of stay.
• Diagnosing Peripheral Neuropathy
  Despite the challenges diagnosing peripheral neuropathy presents, physicians must become more efficient in their patient workups.
• The Future of Skin
  Biosynthetic skin substitutes offer a promising solution for older adults’ wound care.
• Early Glaucoma Detection Preserves Vision
  Geriatricians and primary care physicians can play a key role in detecting glaucoma symptoms and saving patients’ eyesight.

Departments

From the Editor
Join the Team to Revamp Geriatric Care

Medication Monitor
Enlist Pharmacists to Improve Medication Adherence

Research Review
Brain Stimulation to Improve Speech After Stroke

Datebook

Nutrition
The High Value of Vitamin D

Clinical News
BP Difference Between Arms Warrants Investigation

Vintage Voice
Safe Prescribing Requires Education, Partnership

May/June 2012

May/June 2012

• Rebranding Exercise
  Patients’ quality-of-life enhancements have been shown to create a greater inducement for older adults to exercise.
• Identifying and Treating Anxiety Disorders
  Physicians play an important role in identifying patients’ anxiety disorders and helping them cope with or overcome the anxiety.
• Nutrition’s Role in Sarcopenia Prevention
  It’s important for physicians and other healthcare professionals to make nutritional and exercise recommendations that can help prevent patients’ loss of muscle mass.
• Addressing Sleep Challenges
  Patients’ sleep routines and patterns as well as the quality of sleep can negatively impact their daily functioning and quality of life. Physicians must be proactive in identifying and treating dysfunctional sleep.

Departments

From the Editor
How You Discuss Exercise Matters

Medication Monitor
Next Steps for Patient-Centered Medication Information

Innovations in Geriatrics
New Technology to Detect, Diagnose AD

Alzheimer’s Update
12/15-Lipoxygenase’s Role in AD Prevention

Clinical News
Coronary Calcium Test Predicts Heart Attack Risk

Datebook

Vintage Voices
Health Literacy’s Critical Importance

March/April 2012

March/April 2012

• Dynamic Doctors: Professionals of Note in Geriatric Medicine
  Aging Well features geriatricians whose dedication to patients and commitment to elevating the specialty place them among the 2012 Professionals of Note in Geriatric Medicine.
• Catheter Conundrum: Reducing Unnecessary Placement
  Physicians and hospital staff may need to reevaluate urinary catheterization procedures to reduce infection and other complications stemming from urinary catheterization.
• Integrating Palliative Medicine With Dementia Care
  Aggressive medical interventions for elders’ acute illness may not only be of limited value but also may be an overall detriment.
• Physicians as Supplement Supervisors
  Physicians must evaluate the supplements older patients may be using for their role in nutritional adequacy and in conjunction with patients’ prescribed medications.

Departments

From the Editor
The Joy of Geriatrics

Research Review
Biochips to Monitor Patients

Medication Monitor
Managing COPD in Elderly Patients

Spring Product & Service Showcase

Long Term Care
Dementia Care Model Facilitates Quality Outcomes

Vintage Voices
Changing the Philosophy of Care: A Function-Focused Care Approach

Datebook

January/February 2012

January/February 2012

• Infection After Implant: Cardiac Devices Warrant Vigilance
  Implantable electronic devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators offer lifesaving solutions for patients with heart problems. But clinicians must remain vigilant against the possibility of infection following implantation procedures.
• STD Prevalence Demands Clinical Awareness
  According to the CDC, 15% of new STD/HIV infections occur in adults over the age of 50. Clinicians must be proactive in discussing patients’ sexual status, improving prevention and education efforts, and developing strategies to treat STDs and HIV/AIDS.
• Combating Clostridium Difficile
  More common among hospitalized or institutionalized elders, these bacteria often affect patients with compromised immune systems. Severe cases can result in irreversible colon damage.
• Predicting Medications’ Adverse Effects
  The prevalence of medication errors demands physicians act more diligently to identify potentially inappropriate medications. The STOPP criteria have been developed and validated to flag inappropriate prescribing.

Departments

From the Editor
Meeting 21st Century Challenges

Datebook

Alzheimer’s Update
Combating Dementia With Infrared Light?

Innovations in Geriatrics
Detecting Artery Blockage With Light and Sound

Nutrition
Dangers of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Medication Monitor
Dementia-Related Behavior Management

Vintage Voices
Are Hip Fracture Rates Rising or Falling?