Responding to a Critical Call: Teaching Care for Older Adults
There has never been a more critical time to share the best ways to care for geriatric patients, said Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D., LCSW, executive director of Saint Louis University's Geriatric Education Center, who led a team that planned SLU's Summer Geriatric Institute.
The 27th annual conference, which is the University's largest continuing medical education program, attracted about 240 students and practitioners who care for older adults. It was held on SLU's south campus on June 6-7 and drew professionals from all parts of Missouri and southern Illinois, and beyond.
An estimated one in five Americans will be older than 65 by the year 2030, yet the number of physicians with the specialized skills to care for them is declining, putting the health of our elders in jeopardy.
To meet the challenge, the federal government recently turned to SLU to teach doctors, nurses and other care providers the best practices in caring for older adults, which were shared at this summer's geriatric institute, Berg-Weger said.
Nationally recognized experts -- including more than two dozen SLU faculty members -- from fields such as medicine; nursing; occupational, physical and speech therapy; social work; and nutrition presented workshops and sessions on the latest developments in the care of older adults.
"Our Summer Geriatric Institute is one more way Saint Louis University continues to share our expertise in all aspects of geriatrics with care providers from the region," said Berg-Weger, who also is a professor of social work at SLU. "All of the presentations were based on the latest research and evidence, with our goal being to elevate the care of our elders for whom we owe so much."
Aimee Spector, DClinPsy, Ph.D., one of the co-founders of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST), delivered the Jim Flood Memorial Alzheimer's Disease Lecture on her non-drug treatment for dementia that engages older adults in group discussions to spark memories. A SLU team presented a follow-up two-hour workshop on CST to a packed room of health care providers.
The conference continues to grow as more health and social services turn to SLU to guide them in the best ways to care for older adults."
Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D., SLU Geriatric Education Center
"SLU is working to promote this innovative and cost-effective therapy. Funded by our federal $2.5 million educational grant to improve the health of older Missourians, we have already trained hundreds of professionals and students in CST and a number of groups throughout the region now offer the therapy," Berg-Weger said.
"Now, as a result of this conference, several other care providers will return to their organizations and communities to explore offering CST. In this way, SLU continues to shape care for adults with memory issues from around the state."
Other sessions focused on rapidly screening older adults to assess physical and mental health of older adults, caregiver well-being, exercise, interprofessional education and practice, nutrition and financial exploitation of older adults.
"During the more than a quarter of a century that SLU has offered the summer conference, we've learned much about the aging process. There is more research and evidence-based practice strategies -- some developed at SLU. The conference continues to grow as more health and social services turn to SLU to guide them in the best ways to care for older adults." Berg-Weger said.