Not too long ago I had the unique experience of needing the services of the emergency room of a major teaching hospital in New York City. (Don’t worry, I’m fine now.) During my thirty-four hours in the ER, I had the opportunity to observe the other patients crowded around…
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Our 2010 Annual Report, “A Day in the Life of an Academic Geriatric Nurse,” features photographic profiles of 18 nurses who have received BAGNC awards or who play key roles in the program. An essential component of the BAGNC Initiative is a series of grants that have established nine…
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“Overcoming unconscious incompetence”--This is how one emergency medicine physician described his efforts to convince colleagues about the need for better education of resident trainees in the care of older adults. Many specialists--ER docs, surgeons, anesthesiologists, gynecologists, urologists, etc.--and those who train them believe they already take excellent care of…
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Our 2010 Annual Report, “A Day in the Life of an Academic Geriatric Nurse,” includes photographic profiles of 18 nurses who have received BAGNC awards or who play key roles in the program. To supplement the profiles, we will be posting interviews with several of these outstanding nurses over the…
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In 2006, when the IOM process that led to the publication of Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce kicked off, I had the opportunity to speak to the committee. As the then–Atlantic Philanthropies’ representative, I thought very hard about what I would say to this…
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Allow me to introduce you to Melissa Aselage, MSN, RN. Melissa is a Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) Initiative Pre-doctoral Scholar at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing, where she studies techniques to help nursing home staff manage meal time behaviors in residents with dementia. Melissa…
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Shortly after I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer a scan showed a hot spot on my lower spine. Was it the spread of cancer? My oncologist scheduled a bone biopsy at my hospital, Maimonides Medical Center, in order for us to find out. A few days before the procedure…
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We continue to receive a tremendous response to Nora's blog about her father's post-operative confusion and know that many of you have experienced similar situations. We invite you to visit our Resources page, where you will find links to helpful sites, including the Foundation for Health in Aging's delirium topic…
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A metaphorical barn-raising started in Washington, DC, on May 26. Hosted by Jobs for the Future and John A. Hartford Foundation grantee PHI, the “Building Ladders and Raising the Floor” conference convened 75 leaders from across the workforce development and long-term services and supports sectors to discuss how the…
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My father’s death shook me more than I anticipated. Helplessly watching him decline and die made my chosen career in geriatrics frighteningly personal, giving me an unwanted “insider’s perspective” on the issues I have so often counseled my frail older patients and their families about, such as delirium, polypharmacy…
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