Insights into the Difficult World of Surgery for Older Adults is being held in conjunction with the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier forum for the latest information on clinical geriatrics, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. Please visit www.americangeriatrics.org if you are interested in attending other sessions at the Society's annual meeting.

Why You Should Attend
Surgeons and related medical specialists are increasingly required to address the unique needs of older adults. While people over the age of 65 account for only 12% of the U.S. population, they undergo almost 40% of surgical procedures. They are also more likely to suffer a wide range of post-operative complications. In the future, the provision of high quality, "gero-sensitive" care will become an even more critical issue in the surgical and related specialties.

The demographic realities driving this phenomenon are well documented. As the "baby boom" generation ages, conservative estimates suggest that the population of Americans 65 and older will more than double from 35 million in 2006 to more than 78 million in 2050. The 85 and older cohort will quadruple to 18.2 million; and if current trends in life expectancy continue, this number may be closer to 30 million.

Along with these trends, remarkable skill and technology improvements in everything from cardiac catheterization to knee replacements to liver transplants are enlarging the proportion of older adults (particularly octogenarians) who are candidates for surgery and other non-primary care interventions. As a result, surgeons and related medical specialists-whether in training or in practice-will likely spend a significant proportion of their careers providing care to older patients.

Who Should Attend
Physicians who are interested in learning about efforts to improve their knowledge caring for older adults will be particularly interested in this meeting.

Organizations from the following medical specialties will be represented at the meeting:
Anesthesiology
Emergency Medicine
General Surgery
Gynecology
Ophthalmology
Orthopaedic Surgery
Otolaryngology
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R)
Thoracic Surgery
Urology

Learning Objectives
At the close of the Section meeting, participants will be able to:

• Describe multidisciplinary care and approaches to abdominal surgery in older adults;
• Discuss comprehensive treatment of surgery/orthopedic surgery as it relates to Geriatrics, Surgery, Anesthesiology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Nursing;
• Identify current issues in management of patients under evolving Medicare regulations

About the Section for Surgical and Related Medical Specialists
The mission of the Section is to enhance the well being of older patients who suffer from diseases and conditions requiring treatment by Specialists in surgical and related medical specialties, hereinafter referred to as Specialists or Specialties. Its goals are as follows:

• to strengthen geriatrics education for all trainees in these specialties.
• to facilitate sharing of ideas, information, and goodwill between Geriatricians and Specialists and among Specialties.
• to stimulate the career development of faculty in promoting geriatrics training and research within their own professional disciplines.
• to enhance the knowledge and expertise of practicing surgeons and related medical specialists in the geriatrics aspects of the care of their older patients through maintenance of certification and continuing medical education.

Section Program Planning Committee

Chair
Jeffrey H. Silverstein, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Surgery, Geriatrics & Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Members
Jonathan Bean, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Harvard Medical School, Medical Director/Spaulding Cambridge
Nicola Francalancia, MD, Northborough Massachusetts
Tomas Griebling, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, Kansas University Medical Center
Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN, Secondary Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pennsylvania
Barbara E. Paris, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Vice Chair, Medicine and Director of Geriatrics Maimonides Medical Center