Medication harms take a devastating toll on older adults, and everyone involved in the care of older adults can help reduce this public health risk. That is why reducing the proportion of older adults who use [are prescribed] potentially inappropriate medications is a Healthy People 2030 objective and one of…
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Building on The John A. Hartford Foundation’s investment of more than a half billion dollars in aging and health programs over the past three decades, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved four new grants totaling $5.5 million to accelerate the move to age-friendly health systems that measurably improve care for…
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Geriatrician Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH, shares her professional perspective on caregiving in the book she co-authored, The Gift of Caring. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and gift giving will abound. It makes me think of those who give the gift of selflessly caring for others, such as…
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Click on image to read the article. A headline in Tuesday’s New York Times asks a very important question: "As the population ages, where are the geriatricians?" The story, by Katie Hafner, describes the shortage of geriatrics and gerontologic expertise in our health system today. It features the important…
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My 77-year old father underwent surgery two years ago and I recall how frightening it was for him, my mother, and our entire family. Unfortunately, our fear was realized when he had a terrible post-operative infection that sent him to the emergency room and on to a follow-up surgery. Sadly…
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This is the last in a series of six Health AGEnda posts on the 2014 Annual Report. Editor’s Note: The John A. Hartford Foundation’s 2014 Annual Report features five profiles of Hartford Change AGEnts whose work is representative of the kinds of practice and policy change the initiative is…
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Most of our John A. Hartford Foundation staff have come to the banks of the Potomac River in National Harbor, MD, this week for the annual scientific meeting of long-time grantee and partner, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). It’s always a great opportunity to catch up with valued friends and…
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I was recently in New Orleans and coincidently listened to an interview with Robert Wachter of the University of California, San Francsico talking about health IT and his new book on where the nation stands regarding electronic health records (EHRs). Somehow, the temptations of the French Quarter and the problem…
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One of this blog post's authors, Teresita Hogan, MD, speaks on care transitions during the Geriatric EM Boot Camp in Milwaukee. Editor’s Note: In our Feb. 19 Health AGEnda post, the team we’re informally calling the Hartford Geri EM Champions shared information about the first two Geriatric Emergency Medicine…
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One of this blog's authors, Dr. Kevin Biese, right, and Dr. Jan Busby-Whitehead lead a collaborative project at UNC-Chapel Hill to develop a unique model of a geriatric emergency department (ED) focused on improving care transitions. Editor’s Note: This is the first of two parts. “Geriatric Emergency Medicine”—As health…
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