At #AGS18, Innovation for “Young & Young at Heart” Finds Common Home at Disney & in Geriatrics

  • At #AGS18, innovation for “young & young at heart” finds common home at Disney & in #geriatrics http://ow.ly/3XLU30j3MKW
  • What do #geriatrics & @Disney have in common? More than you might think thanks to @AmerGeriarics’ #AGS18 http://ow.ly/3XLU30j3MKW

New York (March 20, 2018)—Home to the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18), the Walt Disney World Resort® in Orlando, Fla., has long been a place for the “young and young at heart”—but it shares more with geriatrics, the health specialty dedicated to expert care for older adults, than you might think.

In the same year that Walt Disney announced plans for his iconic theme park, then-President Lyndon Johnson proposed an equally ambitious program, Medicare, to ensure older Americans like Disney could continue contributing to our communities for as long as possible. Since then, the same creativity and innovation that helped Disney change the landscape of central Florida has also helped geriatrics shape a more supportive landscape for clinical practice, public policy, and public and professional education serving us all as we age—something more than 2,500 geriatrics health professionals and advocates will revisit at #AGS18, held May 3-5 (pre-conference day May 2) at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort®.

A cadre of the field’s preeminent physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, social workers, long-term and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, trainees, journalists, and advocates will converge on the “most magical place on Earth” to experience an educational program every bit as imaginative as it is informative, thanks to more than 100 events and research updates. Browse #AGS18 highlights below, and be sure to visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org for registration, the full program schedule, and everything else #AGS18.

AGS CoCare: Ortho™—Launching the Comprehensive Geriatric Fracture Co-Management Curriculum and Toolkit (Thurs., May 3; 8:15-9:15am ET)

  • With support from The John A. Hartford Foundation, the AGS has launched ortho.agscocare.org, a new tool for health systems interested in implementing the AGS CoCare: Ortho™ model. By helping health systems integrate geriatric and orthopedic expertise as soon as possible, AGS CoCare: Ortho™ seeks to improve care and lower costs for the 260,000 older adults hospitalized annually with hip fractures.

Plenary Paper Session (Thurs., May 3; 9:30-10:15am ET)

  • This session will highlight the top research abstracts submitted for presentation at #AGS18 from a pool of more than 1,000 contenders—the highest volume of abstract submissions in AGS history.

Hypertension in Older Adults: Controversies and Challenges (Thurs., May 3; 10:15-11am ET)

  • This session will address the hotly debated 2017 clinical guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of hypertension (or high blood pressure) in adults—the first update to such guidance in 14 years.

The Annual Wellness Visit: A Win-Win for Geriatrics Healthcare Providers and Older Adults (Thurs., May 3; 11:15am-12:15pm ET)

  • This session will describe one of the most important preventive tools for older adults: the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. Attendees will explore unique opportunities for implementing the wellness visit in ambulatory, home- or long-term-care settings and in collaboration with members of an interprofessional geriatrics team while also discussing different screening instruments for cognitive impairment among older people with limited health literacy.

The Future is Now: Dementia Care Management for High-Impact, High-Value Care (Thurs., May 3; 11:15am-12:15pm ET)

  • Symposium leaders will review essential interventions in new dementia care models, discussing how to staff and train team members to deliver better and more effective dementia care at lower costs to patients and health systems.

After the Positive Biopsy: What Geriatricians Need to Know to Manage Older Men with Prostate Cancer (Thurs., May 3; 1:30-2:30pm ET)

  • Prostate cancer can be a common concern for older men and their healthcare providers. In this session, participants will apply best practice approaches in guiding men after a prostate cancer diagnosis, including how to deal with anxiety and uncertainty in the context of goals of care.

Cannabis Use in Older Adults: Friend or Foe (Thurs., May 3; 2:45-3:45pm ET)

  • This symposium will review survey data from Colorado seniors regarding frequency, indications, and adverse effects of cannabis use in the context of clinical studies using medical marijuana for the treatment of chronic pain, anorexia, dementia, and other health concerns among older adults.

Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture: Look Homeward, Medicine (Thurs., May 3; 4-5pm ET)

  • Bruce Leff, MD, AGSF, a Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Transformative Geriatric Research, at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will deliver the prestigious Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture on our growing population of home-bound older adults, describing the spectrum of home-based medical care services and innovative models changing both where and how we age.

Presidential Poster Session (Thurs., May 3; 5-6pm ET)

  • The Presidential Poster Session and Reception celebrates posters that received top-billing from #AGS18 Abstract Reviewers across a range of categories, including clinical trials, epidemiology, ethics, geriatric bioscience, health Services and health policy research, and more.

Elder Abuse: Advances in Science and Service That Should Be of Interest to Clinicians (Fri., May 4; 7:30-8:30am ET)

  • Physical, financial, and emotional abuse of older adults remains a significant barrier to justice for us all as we age. In this session, experts will summarize the major scientific and service developments in the field of elder abuse and describe promising intervention strategies to combat its effects.

Health Services & Policy Research Paper Session (Fri., May 4; 7:30-8:30am ET)

  • This session will highlight some of the most impactful health policy research submitted for presentation at #AGS18, including cost-benefit analyses of high-dose versus standard-dose influenza vaccines, as well as why and how clinicians should communicate about stopping cancer screenings.

AGS Awards Ceremony (Fri., May 4; 8:45-9am ET)

  • Join us as we honor more than 15 of the best and brightest clinicians, researchers, and educators representing the future of geriatrics.

Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award Lecture for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation (Fri., May 4; 9-9:45am ET)

  • In its second year, the Yoshikawa Award Lecture will recognize the research accomplishments of Heather Whitson, MD, MHS, a nationally recognized expert in multiple chronic conditions and disability in older adults.

Tools for Assessment in the Era of Competency-Based Education: Improving Care for Older Adults (Fri., May 4; 10-11am ET)

  • This symposium will describe ways to help emerging geriatrics health professionals provide quality care for older adults. Educators will identify effective ways to assess achievement of competencies in geriatrics among medical students while also exploring skills that can move clinicians from novices to experts in the care of older adults.

Public Policy Lecture (Fri., May 4; 11:15am-12:15pm ET)

  • A fan-favorite and an important priority for 2018, this session includes the latest information on changes in the policy world as they relate to geriatrics health professionals and older adults. Presenters will offer a whirlwind tour of Washington and AGS public policy priorities, including what to expect from Congress and the Trump Administration in the year ahead.

That Was the Year that Will Be: Bench Research Findings of 2017 that Will Be at the Bedside by 2022 (Fri., May 4; 1:30-2:30pm ET)

  • This symposium addresses basic science and translational studies that will move from the lab bench to the bedside in the next few years, including cutting-edge research on geroscience, resilience and vulnerability, and nutrition.

Epidemiology Paper Session (Fri., May 4; 1:30-2:30pm ET)

  • In this review of top papers submitted to #AGS18 in the field of epidemiology, experts will review highlights on everything from the effects of statins on frail older adults to racial disparities in mammography screenings.

Healthy Aging: What Can We Do to Promote It? (Fri., May 4; 1:30-2:30pm ET)

  • Attendees will learn to identify social determinant and health behavior needs to help older adults achieve “healthy aging.” In addition to exploring the definition for this term, expert presenters also will review evidence-based, best practices to better equip geriatrics health care providers to prescribe physical activity and exercise, specifically for the prevention and management of chronic diseases.

Lightning Science: Brief Presentations of Top-Rated Abstracts (Fri., May 4; 2:45-3:45pm ET)

  • This fast-paced, interactive session will showcase some of the best new research and innovation in aging.

2018 Updated AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults (Fri., May 4; 4-5:30pm ET)

  • Learn about the newest potential updates to the AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, one of the most frequently cited reference tools in geriatrics. This session will include an overview of the latest update process, as well as a synthesis of anticipated changes and how the AGS Beers Criteria® remain relevant to clinicians, health system leaders, and other stakeholders in care for us all as we age.

U13 Sensory Impairment & Cognitive Decline Conference Proceedings (Sat., May 5; 7:30-8:30am ET)

  • This session will review proceedings from a National Institute on Aging-sponsored conference on sensory impairment and cognitive decline, which included expert evaluations of epidemiologic links between vision/hearing impairments and the risk for declining mental health and dementia.

Geriatrics Literature Update 2018 (Sat., May 5; 8:45-10:15am ET)

  • A must-see for AGS Annual Scientific Meeting attendees, the Geriatrics Literature Update will focus on more than 20 of 2017’s most important and impactful journal articles shaping health and care for older adults, caregivers, and geriatrics healthcare professionals.

Driving Fitness: An Interprofessional Approach Using the Clinician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers (Sat., May 5; 10:30-11:30am ET)

  • This symposium will explore the newly updated guide from AGS and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for assessing and counseling older drivers. With older adults accounting for 10 percent of all people injured in traffic crashes annually and 17 percent of annual traffic fatalities, the Clinician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers translates research findings and public health initiatives into practical, person-centered advice for safely navigating the open road.

Volume to Value: What a Geriatrician Should Know about Value-Based Care (Sat., May 5; 10:30-11:30am ET)

  • Describing the changing healthcare landscape and the rationale behind “value-based care,” this session will define challenges in implementing value-based care and explain how value-based care applies to real-world clinical care and our health, safety, and independence as we age.

Pharmacotherapy Update: 2018 (Part 1—Sat., May 5; 11:45am-12:45pm ET & Part 2—Sat., May 5; 1-2pm ET)

  • Now a two-part symposium, this series of sessions will address updates in access to medications for older adults, summarizing changes over the past year in prescription drug treatment and coverage.

Session times, topics, and presenters are subject to change. Visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org to access the full conference program.

About the American Geriatrics Society

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has—for more than 75 years—worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.

About the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting

The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. More than 2,500 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, and others will convene May 3-5, 2018 (pre-conference program on May 2), at the Walt Disney World® Swan & Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fl., to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org.

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