News at the URAI

Geriatrics Division Has Strong Presence at Conference, Nelson Receives Prestigious Award

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Faculty members from the division of Geriatrics & Aging showcased their expertise at the annual meeting of the American Medical Director’s Association Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (AMDA PALTC), marking a notable presence and garnering accolades. Beyond contributing as speakers during sessions, the division had much to celebrate.

Jennifer Muniak, MD, and Katlyn McBride, MD, won first place in the Case Series/Case Reports poster category. Tim Holahan assumed his role as chair of the AMDA Public Policy Committee, solidifying the division’s influence in shaping industry policies.

And Dallas Nelson, MD, received the esteemed Medical Director of the Year award for her outstanding leadership of the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group. (Read the AMDA press release on her achievement, and watch this video featuring Nelson.) “I am honored to have received this recognition on a national level for the great work we are doing locally in the Rochester region,” she said. Nelson was also elected as secretary of the Board of Directors.

Jennifer Muniak presents her poster at AMDA

Dallas Nelson receives the Medical Director of the Year Award at AMDA

Division chief Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, said “Dr. Dallas Nelson has clearly demonstrated excellence as a medical director at the University of Rochester, both locally and nationally. Her leadership and contributions to the care of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, particularly during the pandemic, are commendable and noteworthy. She is well deserving of this prestigious award!”

Presentations by Speaker:

Timothy Holahan presents
at AMDA

• Brian McGarry, PhD: Award-Winning Research Sponsored by the Foundation for PALTC
• Jennifer Muniak, MD: Getting to Person-Centered Care for Older Adults with Obesity in PA-LTC
  • Poster: Implementing Ketamine in PA-LTC for a Patient with Chronic Pain (With Katlyn McBride, MD)
• Timothy Holahan, DO: Ethical Considerations in Applying Artificial Intelligence to Post-acute and Long-term Care
  • General Session III: Health Policy Update- Member of public policy committee panel
  • The Confident Trial: A Study to Increase Long Term Care Vaccine Confidence
• Sarah Howd, MD: Common Challenges in Assisted Living and How to Navigate Them, Parts 1 and 2
• Suzanne Gillespie, MD: The inside scoop: Secret to success across stages of a PA LTC
• Dallas Nelson, MD: Age-Inclusive Telehealth: What Is It and How Can We Achieve It?
  • Coding Changes that Impact Your PALTC Practice
  • General Session III with Holahan

Further details on each speaker and presentation can be found in the online conference program.

URAI Attends Rochester Summit on Senior Estate Planning

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Staff of the University of Rochester Aging Institute (URAI) participated in the 2024 Roc Senior Summit Estate Planning event on February 10, 2024. The all-day event was hosted by LaShay Harris, Rochester City Council VP; Martha Hope, Founder & CEO of Senior Expressions; Malik Evans, Mayor, City of Rochester. Also in attendance was NYS Assembly member, Demond Meeks.

Held at the downtown Joseph Floreano Convention Center in Rochester, NY, the summit aimed to provide local older adults important information about estate planning. Topics included: Health Care Proxies, Living Wills, Power of Attorney, and Identity Theft. Information was distributed by way of speaker discussions and use of vendor tables, where education was provided verbally and via handouts. URAI staff provided information on the 4 M's of quality care available at our Age-Friendly healthcare system. Ida Earner, NP volunteered as a member of the panel discussion portion of the event.

The URAI thanks the following Geriatrics & Aging division staff for their support of DEI efforts and attendance at this event: Carol Buonaugurio, NP; Seema Dahake, MBBS; Ida Earner, NP; Kariann Laba, PA; Rajaletchumy Sathasivam, MD; and Darakhshan Shamsie, MD.

Members of URAI at the 2024 Roc Senior Summit Estate Planning event

URAI Partners with IBERO American Action League for Health Talks

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The University of Rochester Aging Institute (URAI) is partnering with Maria Quinones-Cordero, PhD, Director of Latino Engagement Core, Roybal Center for Social Ties & Aging, and Raquel Serrano, Director of Elder Services at IBERO American Action League, to present "Charlas de Salud 2024." These "Health Talks 2024" will take place about monthly at a local older adult senior center, "Centro de Oro." This is a community educational center that is able to overcome access to language needs for these predominately Spanish-speaking older adults.

On Wednesday morning, February 28, 2024, URAI kicked-off our year with the topic of "Diabetes," presented in Spanish by Ida Earner, NP, who shared information from resources including CDC, NIH, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Education included review of diabetes and the different types (e.g., prediabetes). We talked about the higher risk of certain racial and ethnic groups developing diabetes, including Hispanics. We discussed common symptoms and complications. Prevention and management of diabetes was taught using "El Metodo del Semaforo" or the "Traffic Light Method" that teaches older adults about foods that should be consumed in small quantities (Red light), in moderation (Yellow light) or foods that are the healthiest option (Green light). The older adults at the center then participated in an interactive game at the end of the presentation where they were challenged to place food names into the appropriate traffic light container to assess for learning.

This discussion and interactive game format was an effective and fun way to deliver health education to these older adults, many who face transportation, language and other barriers to receive health education in their community.

M. Kerry O'Banion Identifies Path to Preventing Cognitive Decline After Radiation

Thursday, January 4, 2024

M. Kerry O'Banion, MD, PhD, professor of Neuroscience, and other researchers found that microglia—the brain's immune cells—can trigger cognitive deficits post-radiation, making them a potential key to averting it.

Read the full story.