News at the URAI

Health Chats Promote Vital Living with Aging Latino Community

Monday, July 1, 2024

In early 2022, Maria Quiñones-Cordero, PhD, from the UR School of Nursing partnered with leaders from the Ibero American Action League to launch a bi-monthly series of health talks for Rochester’s aging Latino community. Charlas de Salud (which means Health Talks in English) provides participants with valuable information and resources to live healthier and happier lives. Local health care experts deliver the educational sessions in Spanish to eliminate language barriers and promote health equity.

Health Talks have become an important part of Ibero’s older adult services offering, particularly its Centro de Oro (gold center/senior center) program, which the agency describes as a unique gathering place for individuals 60 years of age and older that meets their social and cultural needs.

Delivering health talks at Centro de Oro is one of many ways that Maria Quiñones-Cordero practices community outreach. The clinical psychologist and assistant professor of clinical nursing leads the Latino Engagement sub-core of the National Institute on Aging-funded Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging Research (STAR). Because of her commitment to community health improvement and health equity, she won the Junior Faculty Award at the 15^th annual Satcher Awards, hosted by the URMC Center for Community Health and Prevention.

“I started volunteering at Centro de Oro in 2018,” said Quiñones-Cordero. “A lot of participants wanted to learn more about health and wellness but there were no Spanish-speaking health care professionals coming into the center to educate them. I’m fluent in Spanish and have expertise in mental health and cognitive health, so in January of 2022, I started bringing health talks into the center.”

Quiñones-Cordero hosted six bi-monthly Health Talks at Centro de Oro that first year covering topics including normal changes in mental abilities as we age, factors that affect brain health, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease & related dementias, depression, and stress management.

Building on a Successful First Year

By the end of year one, leaders at the University of Rochester Aging Institute offered to partner with Quiñones-Cordero to help connect more health care experts with the community. Ida Earner, MS, RN, CCRN, joined the Health Talks program as co-facilitator. Earner is a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner; Co-Champion for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the UR Division of Geriatrics; and Community Engagement Liaison for the UR Aging Institute. The Rochester native went to elementary school in the same building where Ibero now hosts Centro de Oro Health Chats—the Trent and Pamela Jackson R-Center on North Clinton Avenue.

“You never forget your roots,” said Earner. “I grew up in the city of Rochester and I’m the daughter of migrant workers. My father had diabetes and many complications with the disease, so I’ve always been sensitive to health care disparities. Factors like language barriers, transportation, access to care, education, financial resources, all of the things that marginalized populations struggle with disproportionately.”

As a DEI Champion for the UR Division of Geriatrics, Earner’s mission aligns perfectly with the Aging Institute’s: To promote vitality in aging by transforming care and communities through discovery, learning, collaboration and innovation.

“The Aging Institute connects community programs, educators, clinicians, and researchers to the aging-related resources they need,” said Annie Medina-Walpole, M.D., Chief of the Division of Geriatrics & Aging and Founding Director of the UR Aging Institute. “We promote health, independence, engagement, and enable individuals to live their best lives.”

In 2023, Health Talks at Centro de Oro focused on “the 4M's” for an age-friendly health system. The 4Ms are a widely accepted set of evidence-based elements to organize the care of older adults: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. According to HANYS “the 4Ms are essential components of high-quality care for older adults, and when implemented together, result in significant improvements.” In addition to the 4Ms, there were Health Talks about vision loss and how to prevent falls.

Back by Popular Demand — Ibero Doubles Number of Health Talks in 2024

By the end of 2023, the Health Talks were so well received by attendees that Ibero asked Maria Quiñones-Cordero and her partners at the Aging Institute to increase the frequency from bi-monthly to monthly.

“Our Health Talks are making a great impact,” said Quiñones-Cordero. “Attendees are more aware of resources in the community, particularly Spanish-speaking resources. We've seen an increase in the number of referrals to Spanish-speaking care providers including one of our neurologists who presented at Centro de Oro. And there have been similar increases in referrals to our Spanish-speaking mental health clinics.”

Topics for 2024 include diabetes, dementia, depression and anxiety, grief and loss, elder abuse, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. Facilitators from the Aging Institute collaborate with Ibero staff to determine which topics should be repeated each year based on relevance and applicability to participants.

Making Health Chats Fun and Interactive

In addition to sharing important health-related information with the Centro de Oro community, Quiñones-Cordero and Earner are intentional about making Health Talks fun and interactive. They leave plenty of time for discussion and they walk around the room for one-on-one conversations. So, if anyone is uncomfortable asking questions in front of the whole group, they can engage in a more private conversation.

“Being sensitive to people's comfort-level and privacy is important,” explained Earner. “And nobody likes to sit and just listen,” she added. “So, I thought we would incorporate a game at the end of every session. Attendees really love it. It’s a great way to assess for learning and see if attendees have questions.” 

One of the most popular games uses a traffic light theme. The facilitator describes a scenario where an individual must decide whether to talk to a health care provider or not. A “red light” response means the individual is in an emergency situation and should talk to a provider right away. A yellow light response is less urgent but still worth consulting with a provider. And a  green light response means there’s no need to contact a health care provider.

Real-life Impact

Health Talks at Ibero’s Centro de Oro have become a key touchpoint between health care professionals and Rochester’s aging Latino community. For some attendees, it’s a fun and engaging way to learn how to maintain a healthy and active life. For others, the impact is more profound.

After one Health Talk about depression last year, a participant told the facilitator she was contemplating suicide. Based on the conversation that followed this disclosure and the information shared during the Health Talk, the participant made an appointment at a mental health clinic. A few months later, the participant’s mental health had improved.

At another Health Talk, an attendee was the primary caregiver for a family member who was  showing signs of dementia. She shared that her loved one was not receiving the care she needed due to language barriers between the caregiver, her family member, and the health care provider. The presenter that day was a Spanish-speaking neurologist who booked an appointment with her loved one and diagnosed her with dementia a few weeks later. In this case, attending a Health Talk resulted in a dramatic improvement in the quality of care a patient received from health care professionals.

Building Trust and Relationships

Perhaps the greatest benefit to participants is that they now have a way to get to know health care providers who (literally) speak their language. This goes a long way toward building trust between patients and providers. Historically, there have been a lot of trust issues between patients and health care providers, especially for people that feel disconnected because of language barriers.

“Finding health care professionals who are willing to come out to the community and be a resource is critical,” said Quiñones-Cordero. “Some health conditions like depression are highly stigmatized in the community and people don't want to talk about them, or they just don't understand enough to make informed decisions about how to care for themselves. Going out and talking about these issues really opens up an opportunity for people to get educated, ask questions, and make better informed decisions about how to proceed with care.”

It's a win-win for all who are involved. “I always leave there with a full heart,” said Earner. “We're there for them but they certainly are changing us for the better as well.”

Center for Perioperative Medicine First to Earn Age-Friendly Honor

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

The Center for Perioperative Medicine (CPM), part of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, is the first perioperative program in the nation to earn the elite Age-Friendly Health System Committed to Care Excellence status for its redesign of care for older adults who need surgery. It is the highest recognition a center can receive for providing exceptional care for this high-risk population.

“This is a tremendous point of pride,” said Michael Eaton, MD, chair of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, “We’re extremely proud to be the first institution to receive this honor and lead the way for other perioperative programs to recognize and manage the challenges our aging patients’ experience. The depth of planning and care provided to this rapidly growing population is critical to positive outcomes and quality of life.”

The Age-Friendly Health System is an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. At every level of care and in every setting, the systems work with patients to follow the 4Ms of high-quality care: what Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility.

The U.S. population 65 years and older is expected to nearly double to an estimated 83.7 million by 2050 and experts say health systems are not equipped to reliably provide evidence-based care to older adults at every care interaction. The Age-Friendly initiative is tackling this critical issue by supporting healthcare providers to follow an essential set of evidence-based practices that align with what matters to the older adult and their caregivers.

“We totally redesigned how we care for aging patients who need surgeries to provide the best possible outcomes,” said Marjorie Gloff, MD, CPM director.

Heather Lander, MD, Katlyn McBride, MD, and Renee Robinson, DNP, with support from Annette Medina-Walpole, MD, director of the University of Rochester Aging Institute, led CPM’s effort and received the Age-Friendly participant designation in January. The team demonstrated consistent use of the principles and earned the highest recognition earlier this month.

The innovative perioperative program includes presurgical assessments, patient and provider education, prehabilitation, and optimization efforts to tailor care throughout the presurgical, post-operative and recovery processes.

“We take a holistic approach, considering not only patients’ medical problems but also their diet and nutrition, risk for falls, home support, and vulnerabilities to determine if they are ready for surgery,” said Lander, a 2020 Geriatric Faculty Scholar and current UCSF Tideswell Scholar. “We serve as another set of eyes providing an extra review and checkpoint for older adults preparing for surgery.”

Collaboration and smooth transitions of care at every step help support the patients, McBride said. “Aging patients often need time-sensitive treatments that can be life changing.”

Today, there are more than 3,000 U.S. healthcare systems and programs that hold Age-Friendly designations, including Strong Memorial, Highland and Jones Memorial hospitals, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, Strong’s Geriatric Fracture Center, UR Medicine Geriatric Group, Specialized Oncology Care and Research for our Elders Clinic at Wilmot Cancer Center, and Jones Memorial Medical practices in Andover, Belmont, Bolivar, and Wellsville’s Loder, Martin and North Main streets sites.

Yeates Conwell Weighs in on How Volunteering Affects Your Brain

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Yeates Conwell, MD, director of the Office for Aging Research and Health Services, spoke to BrainHQ about why volunteering benefits both brain and overall health. "When you're volunteering, so many things can get better, because it exercises so many of one's physical, emotional, and mental faculties at once. People who volunteer are able to improve their energy and enjoy an overall better quality of life."

Read the full article

William Hall Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from American Geriatrics Society

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

William Hall, MD, professor emeritus from Highland Hospital, will receive the prestigious Nascher/Manning Award for Lifetime Achievement at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting in May. He is recognized for his contributions, mentorship, and leadership in the field.

Read more about this award.

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.