Dr Carmel Dyer, director of the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, University of Texas Medical School, is the Principal Investigator for a new $650,000 three-year federal grant for the creation of a Geriatric Education Center focusing on vulnerable elderly people. Dr. Sharon Ostwald, Isla Carroll Turner Chair in Gerontological Nursing, Center on Aging at the School of Nursing, is a Co-Principal Investigator.
The Houston Geriatric Education Center (HGEC) is one of 48 centers in the United States. The Center’s approach to caring for the vulnerable elderly is multidisciplinary and also includes faculty from UT’s Dental Branch, School of Public Health, and School of Health Information Sciences as well as faculty of the University of Houston’s School of Pharmacy and School of Social Work. In addition, occupational and physical therapists at Texas Women’s University participate in the Center’s activities.

The HGEC trains faculty, students and practicing professionals with the knowledge and skills to maintain healthier communities for our most vulnerable elderly.

-Carmel Bitondo Dyer, MD, AGSF, FACP, Gerontological
Professional of the Year, and Charlene James, MPH,
Community Advocate of the Year-

The HGEC trains faculty, students and practicing professionals with the knowledge and skills to maintain healthier communities for our most vulnerable elderly. The Center addresses issues of safety, medical care, economic and social support, and disaster preparedness as it relates to the elderly, an expanding population as America ages. “Elder abuse andexploitation remain largely hidden and undiagnosed problems in the elderly population,” said Dr. Ostwald. “The intent of the center is to train health care professionals and others in the community so that the problem is recognized early and treatment can be initiated. The goal is to have elders live in safer, healthier environments.”

The HGEC offers a hybrid program of interactive, experiential, didactic, and online education for medical residents, nurse practitioner students, social work interns, and post-doctoral fellows. This year’s training focuses on the recognition and intervention of elder mistreatment and includes both a historical and ethical perspective.

Interdisciplinary Student Competition
The UTH 2008 Interdisciplinary Student Team Competition under the the leadership of Dr Dyer and Dr. Ostwald was held on April 7. Two teams, made up of 30 tudents from HGEC ontribution institutions and disciplines, participated in various activities around the topic of elder abuse and mistreatment, such as creating web-based case studies and taking part in the Adult Protective Services (APS) Ride-Alongs. In addition to learning about elder abuse and mistreatment, the students, to prepare for the competition, worked with an opportunity rarely afforded to students before they start their careers. This unique learning experience culminated with the Interdisciplinary Student Team Competition on April 7th, 2008.

At the competition, teams participated in two “rounds.” An interdisciplinary faculty, comprised of faculty from the schools represented by the students who developed the case, scored the quality of their critical thinking and presentation skills. The winning team was announced followed by a discussion of the actual outcome of the case. The evening concluded with a reception honoring the participants.

Other interdisciplinary events are planned, and we will keep you advised of activities through this newsletter.

Speros Martel Scholarship Recipients

The Speros Martel Foundation endowment was established to insure that low income or disadvantaged elderly individuals receive culturally competent, high quality management of their chronic conditions. Graduate nurses (MSN or PhD) who receive scholarships from this foundation must be doing research that tests approaches to care management that will directly benefit minority and/or low income, frail or disadvantaged elders and their families. We are pleased to highlight the work of one of our 2007 recipients, Dr. Melinda Stanley-Hermanns:

The Illness Experience of Persons with Parkinson’s Disease
- Melinda Stanley-Hermanns, Ph.D

Background: Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive, age-related, neurodegenerative disorder with no known cause or promising cure. While substantial information is known about the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease, little is known about the illness experience of persons living with the disease. The purpose of this study was to understand how persons with Parkinson’s disease construct their illness experience and manage living with their illness on a daily basis.
Method: A qualitative study with an ethnographic approach employed the strategies of participant observations and fieldwork. Field data were generated from a two year exposure to two Parkinson’s disease support groups in east Texas. Open-ended semi-structured interviews with seven men and seven women with Parkinson’s disease were also conducted. These data were combined and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Findings: The illness experience is described through the metaphor “Sailing the Sea in The Eye of the Storm.” This metaphor served as the overarching theme that covered the two interacting content themes of the voyage of Daily Negotiations in the Midst of Uncertainty and Reconstruction of the Self with Parkinson’s Disease. Daily negotiations incorporated navigating daily activities with the uncertainty of both the progression and daily vicissitudes of the disease. Participants described their symptoms as progressive imprisonment that interfered with daily activities. The progressive nature of the disease required the participants to reconstruct their perceptions of themselves. Reconstructing the self involved the paradoxical balancing of preserving the self while simultaneously releasing aspects of the former self to reconstruct the self with Parkinson’s disease. This process was reflected in four exemplars: “I Know Me,” “It’s Still Me,” “See Me,” and“Remember Me.”
Conclusions: This qualitative study illuminated the struggle of persons living with the uncertainties and fluctuations of Parkinson’s disease and the process of reconstructing their perceptions of themselves. The meaning and reconstruction of the illness experience expressed by participants will inform understanding beyond the disease itself to the illness experience that these participants must deal with on a daily basis.

Call for Nominations!
Selina and Joseph C. Valley Conference Call for Nominations
Deadline: June 1, 2008
Nominations are sought for awards to be presented at the Valley Conference.
The Joseph C. Valley Professional of the Year. This award aknowledges the individidual whose work has a sustained impact of the lives of older adults.
The Joseph C. Valley Community Adocate. This award acknowledges the work of an indivudual or group whose community involvment results in enhanced conditions or benefits for the elderly in our community.
To nominate a person for one of these awards, please submit a letter of recommendation and a resume for that person. Address nominations to Dr. Nancy Bergstrom, Director, UT-SON Center on Aging, 6901 Bertner, Houston TX 77030 or to coa@uth.tmc.edu. For information about these awards and the criteria for eligibility, call 713-500-9922 (or write to coa@uth.tmc.edu).

TURN Study Partners
The TURN Study, “Preventing Pressure Ulcers: A Multi-site RCT in Nursing Facilities,” is a Phase III Clinical Trial and depends on partnerships with nursing facilities to enroll study participants. Nursing facilities that previously participated in studies and projects with Dr. Nancy Bergstrom and/or Dr. Susan Horn (Co- PI, Salt Lake City, UT) have been invited to join us in this interesting and challenging study. We are pleased to acknowledge Hennis Care Centre of Dover, Ohio and Palatka Health Care Center of Palatka, Florida. Please visit the COA Website to learn more about these outstanding Nursing Facilities who are partnering with us to better understand pressure ulcer prevention.

COA Honors and Accomplishments
 

Director's Corner
 

The Center on Aging (COA) was chartered as a UT-H interdisciplinary center with collaboration as a goal. In this issue of the Newsletter we report two interdisciplinary opportunities. First, the H-GEC, funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration, is described. Next, one of the first initiatives stimulated by the H-GEC partners was the Interdisciplinary Student Competition. This Interdisciplinary competition was an annual event on the UTH campus for a number of years and we are pleased that Dr. Ostwald and Dr. Dyer took the leadership in reviving this event that draws students from many disciplines and several universities.

The COA supports two interdisciplinary conferences annually, the Stroke Conference and The Valley Conference. The Stroke Conference attendees are persons who survived stroke and their caregivers and health care professionals. The Valley Conference which is funded in part by the Joseph C. Valley, Jr. Memorial Trust Fund addresses issues related to care of elders. The title of the September 12, 2008 Valley Conference is, “Elder Care Innovations: Houston’s Aging Agenda.” The Valley Conference acknowledges a Professional of the Year and a Community Advocate. We are seeking nominations for these awards. Also, SAVE THE DATE!

The COA is focusing on improving our communication. Our web-site was recently revised. We invite you to visit http://www.uthcoa.org to learn about the COA’s research, education and Ombudsman activities. Information about our research grants and conferences is up to date. We will continue to revise and add dimensions to this site and invite you to visit us from time to time.

Thank you for your interest in and support of the COA.

Nancy Bergstrom, PhD, RN, FAAN

6901 Bertner, 6th Floor
Houston, TX 77030
www.uthcoa.org
Phone 713.500.9921