Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award: Developing a Function-Focused Approach to Pain Management for Older Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain

The overarching goal of our research program is to improve physical function and participation in older adults with chronic musculoskeletal conditions, particularly low back pain (LBP). Despite the fact that LBP is a common problem for older adults and is associated with poor outcomes in this vulnerable age group, little research has focused on LBP in people over age 65. With minimal research available, clinicians do not have clear evidence-based guidance regarding management of older adults with LBP. This presentation will focus on our pathway towards developing a focused treatment algorithm designed to prevent and address the pain-related disability found in older adults with LBP. Our work has largely focused on the identification of potentially modifiable "rehabilitation risk factors" that are associated with pain and functional limitations, as well as the development of interventions to address these risk factors. Specifically, we will discuss our findings relative to trunk muscle impairments and clinical hip impairments in the context of the older adult with low back pain.

Joseph T. Freeman and Excellence in Rehabilitation Award Lecture

The Joseph T. Freeman Award lecture will feature an address by the 2021 Freeman Award recipient Pamela Cacchione, PhD, CRNP, BC, FGSA, FAAN, of the University of Pennsylvania. The Joseph T. Freeman Award is a lectureship in geriatrics awarded to a prominent physician in the field of aging, both in research and practice. The award was established in 1977 through a bequest from a patient's estate as a tribute to Dr. Joseph T. Freeman. The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award lecture will feature an address by the 2021 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award recipient Gregory Hicks, MPT, PhD of the University of Delaware. The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award is designed to acknowledge outstanding contributions in the field of the rehabilitation of aging individuals.

The dilemma of prioritizing: are we ignoring the elderly

Thie COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of changes in the perspectives towards the aging persons of the community. It has also brought out the flaws of medical care to the table of discussions and the rational utilization of the limited resources available. Through this article, I want to raise the issue of prioritization of young over the old in limited-resource settings, especially in the developing countries

Excellence in Rehabilitation Award

The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award lecture will feature an address by the 2020 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award recipient Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR. The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award is designed to acknowledge outstanding contributions in the field of the rehabilitation of aging individuals.

Rehabilitation of Aging Persons: The Past, The Present & The Promise

The 2020 Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award presentation will address my efforts over the past 35 years related to research methods, functional status, mobility, and self-care. Studies conducted in the past 25 years on disability and recovery in older adults with an emphasis on minority health will be presented. Research examining rehabilitation outcomes related to health care reform including the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act, and using Medicare files, will be described. The role of Data Science and Discovery, as defined by the NIH and related to rehabilitation in older adults, will also be presented.

Pandemic Dementia Scarce Resource Allocation

Hospitals and intensive care units are straining to provide care for a large surge of patients with coronavirus disease 19 (Covid-19). Contingency plans are being made for the pos­sibility that resources for lifesaving care, including mechanical ventilators, will be in short supply. Covid-19 is more severe and more likely to be fatal in older persons. Dementia is one of the commonest severe comorbidities of aging. Persons with dementia are vulnerable and often need the support of others to make their voices heard. This commentary, created by a task force commissioned by the Alzheimer Society of Canada, provides guidance for triaging persons with dementia to scarce medical resources during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Age-friendly communities for older persons with intellectual disabilities

Purpose The life expectancy for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) has increased significantly, resulting in an increasing number of aging persons with ID. To promote healthy and active aging of persons with ID, discussions on new initiatives to design age-friendly communities have begun at local and international levels. The purpose of this paper, a qualitative research study, is to identify features of an age-friendly community, and facilitators and barriers from the perspectives of older adults with mild ID and their caregivers who live in the city of Winnipeg in Canada. Design/methodology/approach Seven older persons with mild ID were interviewed, and 15 caregivers participated in focus group discussions. All participants were asked questions about features of community living and their experiences in eight broad topic areas (i.e. transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, opportunities for community involvement, communication and information, community support and healthcare services, and outdoor spaces and buildings). Findings The results indicated that many of the current features of the city of Winnipeg do not adequately address the needs of aging persons with ID; specifically, participants revealed that issues related to accessibility, social participation, social disrespect and inclusion, and lack of resources were important barriers to independence. Originality/value The findings will increase awareness of the needs of aging persons with ID and inform programme planning, service delivery, coordination of community-based services and policies to support healthy and active aging for this vulnerable population.

Sphingolipids in Obesity and Correlated Co-Morbidities: The Contribution of Gender, Age and Environment

This paper reviews our present knowledge on the contribution of ceramide (Cer), sphingomyelin (SM), dihydroceramide (DhCer) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in obesity and related co-morbidities. Specifically, in this paper, we address the role of acyl chain composition in bodily fluids for monitoring obesity in males and females, in aging persons and in situations of environmental hypoxia adaptation. After a brief introduction on sphingolipid synthesis and compartmentalization, the node of detection methods has been critically revised as the node of the use of animal models. The latter do not recapitulate the human condition, making it difficult to compare levels of sphingolipids found in animal tissues and human bodily fluids, and thus, to find definitive conclusions. In human subjects, the search for putative biomarkers has to be performed on easily accessible material, such as serum. The serum “sphingolipidome” profile indicates that attention should be focused on specific acyl chains associated with obesity, per se, since total Cer and SM levels coupled with dyslipidemia and vitamin D deficiency can be confounding factors. Furthermore, exposure to hypoxia indicates a relationship between dyslipidemia, obesity, oxygen level and aerobic/anaerobic metabolism, thus, opening new research avenues in the role of sphingolipids.