Week In Review

Don't forget: all #AGS21 registrants have access to the recorded sessions via the annual meeting platform through Sun., Aug. 15. Take some time to browse the educational program and watch anything you missed!

Additionally, you must claim your AMA, CMD, and Nursing Credits on the virtual annual meeting platform by adding the sessions to your CME/CE cart and then following the steps in your cart to complete your evaluations. You can apply for AAFP prescribed credits here. All evaluations and claims must be submitted by Sun., Aug.15.

• Administration Invests in COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation in Vulnerable Communities; Supports Vaccine Outreach in Rural Areas
  Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced two new initiatives addressing the ongoing COVID-19 response. First, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest more than $1.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan to support testing and mitigation measures in high-risk congregate settings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and detect and stem potential outbreaks. As COVID-19 cases rise among the unvaccinated, this funding will expand activities to detect, diagnose, trace, and monitor infections and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in homeless shelters, treatment and recovery facilities, domestic violence shelters, and federal, state and local correctional facilities. A second initiative provides $100 million to more than 1,980 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), which will use these resources to develop and implement additional vaccine confidence and outreach efforts as many communities face the Delta variant and work to get more people vaccinated and protected from COVID-19 in medically underserved rural communities. This funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and is being administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through the Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence (RHCVC) Program. More on these initiatives can be found here and here.
   
• AGS Supports Call for All Health Care Employers to Require COVID-19 Vaccination
  The AGS continues to recommend that all Americans take precautions to combat COVID-19, including vaccination. In a joint statement with health care organizations and societies, the AGS expressed support for COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all workers in health and long-term care, excluding employees with identified medical reasons that cannot be vaccinated. Preventing infection in health care employees is an important public health intervention for the health and safety of our nation – but most critically for our vulnerable populations.
   
• House E&C Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Neurodegenerative Diseases
  This week, the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Subcommittee on Health held a hearing, “The Path Forward: Advancing Treatments and Cures for Neurodegenerative Diseases.” Many subcommittee members focused their questions around improving access to and diversity in clinical trials, including how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determines the representativeness in a clinical trial, identifying non-clinical barriers (e.g., transportation issues) to clinical trial access, and how to rectify delays imposed by COVID-19. Members also asked about the FDA drug review and approval process and raised concerns with Aduhelm regarding its benefit to patients and cost. Among the witnesses, Dr. Richard J. Hodes provided testimony and noted, “Additional research is essential to test the ability of amyloid-targeted treatment to affect clinical outcomes,” when discussing aducanumab.

In June 2021, the FDA approved aducanumab (Aduhelm™) for use in treating patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of Alzheimer’s disease, and AGS members and other clinicians caring for older adults are being asked whether this new treatment is right for their patients. AGS has developed preliminary advice providing clinicians with the best available information to assist them in informing patients and surrogates about what is currently known about the risks and benefits of aducanumab.

Join geriatric medicine and hospice and palliative medicine fellows from multiple programs on Tues., Aug. 3 at 12 p.m. CT, as they host the Geriatrics Twitter Journal Club using the Twitter Account @GeriatricsJC and the hashtag #GeriJC. Together with geriatric and hospice and palliative experts and trainees, they will review a scientific article via a short video clip, followed by posted questions and polls to engage the audience in a critical appraisal about geriatric and hospice and palliative research. Healthcare professionals, trainees, and researchers are invited to participate.

The Journal Club meets every first Tuesday of the month and is open for the week. Please see this flyer for further details.

A new toolkit on resiliency and burnout is available on GeriatricsCareOnline.org. The toolkit, developed by the AGS/ADGAP Education Committee’s Faculty Development Subcommittee, is a compendium of articles and tools meant to offer guidance on maintaining resiliency and avoiding burnout across multiple settings; it is targeted at multiple audiences.

The committee felt this was an important topic to tackle considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The toolkit is organized by three topics: 1) Identifying of Wellness Burnout Level; 2) Personal Level; and 3) Program Level. There is one resource that crosses across all categories. To access the toolkit, please visit here.

The National Home-Based Primary Care Learning Network is calling for applications for its year-long coaching and support network to help home-based primary and palliative care practices implement quality improvement principles and demonstrate high-value care. Applications are due by Mon., Aug. 30. Learn more.

The STEADI: Best Practices for Developing an Inpatient Program to Prevent Older Adult Falls After Discharge was created in partnership with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). UCSF adapted CDC’s STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) initiative for outpatient patient care to reduce falls during and after a hospital stay.

This guide offers inpatient teams and healthcare systems a 10-step framework for promoting safe mobility and managing older patients’ post-discharge fall risk. Also available is a Fact Sheet that summarizes how the guide was developed at UCSF and how other hospitals can build a similar inpatient fall prevention program. The Best Practices Guide and Fact Sheet are available on the new STEADI Inpatient Care webpage.

• 2021 Healthy Aging Symposium. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)'s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and Trust for America's Health are co-sponsoring this free, two-day symposium to highlight the latest science, best practices, and innovative solutions to improve the lives and health of older Americans. Wed., Sept. 8 - Thurs., Sept. 9. Learn more and register here.
   
• Wisconsin Update in Geriatric Medicine. The Wisconsin Update in Geriatric Medicine is jointly provided by Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP). Live sessions will offer attendees the opportunity to ask questions and interact with speakers. Continuing education credit is available, and attendees will have access to sessions for 45 days after the event. Register for one day or the entire conference. Tues., Sept. 21- Fri., Sept. 24. Learn more and register here.