Annual Report: 2008/09

Highlights of 2008-2009 

• The three-week Geriatrics Block course was taught twice: July/August 2008 and May, 2009.

• The Department received $54,000 as part of a collaborative grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support a consortium site of the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center (WRGEC) at OU-COM. It is a three year grant.

• T. Heckman, J. Gau, V. Heh, B. Heckman and R. Barcikowski.  Title: Telephone Delivered Coping Improvement Intervention for HIV-Infected Older Adults.  Sponsor: NIH, received year 3 funding in the amount of $364,355.00.  This is a 4 year study.

• Rebecca Teagarden and Katherine Ritchey participated in the annual Charles J. Cannon Edinburgh Geriatric Tutorial Program, a program partially funded through contributions from previous participants.

• Two community-based programs provided needed resources to the elderly and their families.

• Caregiver Series: a five-part series held throughout April covered topics of interest to those caring for elderly family members and friends.

• Senior Rural Outreach: interprofessional teams traveled to rural communities, offering health screenings, consultations and education.

• A three-part nurse aid education program was offered to nursing homes with a focus on topics pertinent to nurse aids.

2007/2008

• The three-week Geriatrics Block course was taught for the sixth time in July/August 2007.

• The Department received $60,000 as part of a collaborative grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support a consortium site of the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center (WRGEC) at OU-COM. It is a three year grant.

• Lauren Wasson and Jennifer Drost participated in the annual Charles J. Cannon Edinburgh Geriatric Tutorial Program, a program partially funded through contributions from previous participants. Rebecca Teagarden and Katherine Ritchey were selected for the 2008 slots.

• Two new community-based programs provided needed resources to the elderly and their families.

• Caregiver Series: a five-part series held throughout April covered topics of interest to those caring for elderly family members and friends.

• Senior Rural Outreach: interprofessional teams traveled to rural communities, offering health screenings, consultations and education.

• A two-part nurse aid education program began in four nursing homes with topics based on surveys conducted with nurse aids.

2006

Several faculty members were given awards for outstanding teaching in April, 2006:

• First-year CPC Awards Outstanding Group Facilitator, Wayne Carlsen, D.O.; Kelly Coon, D.O

• First-year PCC Awards: Outstanding ICOM Preceptor, Allison Batchelor, M.D.

• Best CPC Block Team: Year III Class selected Geriatrics, along with Endocrine and Reproduction

Wayne Carlsen

• June, 2009:Drs. Carlsen and Clay co-editors: J Am Osteopath Assoc. June 2009, Volume 109, 6 Supplement 2. The supplement is titled: Cruising the Senior Years Protected from Herpes Zoster. 

• October, 2008: Salt Fork, Medical Care of the Elderly in Hospitals

• March, 2005: Presented in the Geriatric Noon Seminar series;
• November, 2004: Presentation for the Geriatric Medicine Club;
• October, 2004: Presented at the annual statewide Geriatric Medicine Conference, “Caring for Older Adults;”

Jen-Tzer Gau

• Gau, JT., Shibeshi MR., Lu, IJ., Rafique M., Heh, V., Meyer, D., et al.  Interexpert agreement on diagnosis of bacteriuria  and urinary tract infection in hospitalized older adults.  J Am Osteopath Assoc.  2009; 109(4): 220-226.

• Gau JT, Heh V, Acharya U, Yang YX, Kao TC. Uses of proton pump inhibitors and serum potassium levels. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Safety. 2009 Jun 25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pds.1795.

• June, 2009: Association Between Risk Factors for Constipation and Severity of Stool Retention as Analyzed by Abdominal X-ray; Walston S, Finamore M, Varacallo C, Christopher P, Heh V, Pan J, Kao, T, Gau, J, Digestive Disease Week in McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

• June, 2009: Characeteristics of Constipation in Hospitalized Older Adults: An Observational Study, Finamore M, Walston S, Heh V, Kao T, Pan J, Gau J, Digestive Disease Week in McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

• Accepted for publication. Gau JT, Acharya U, Marx T, Verne GN, Carlsen W. Megacolon and stercoral proctitis after frequent fecal impactions: report of an unusual case and review of the literature. JAMDA. 

• Judge for Clinical Poster Presentation Category on OU-COM Research Day (September 29, 2006)

• Two RSAC advanced summer research fellows under Dr. Gau’s tutelage participated in the OU-COM Research Day (September    29, 2006):  Utkarsh Acharya, BS, MSII and M. Salman Khan, BS, MSII presented a poster entitled “Does Gastric Acid -Suppressive Therapy (GAST) Increase the Risk of Pneumonia in Hospitalized Older Adults?”

• Gau JT, Barcikowski RS, Clay S, Carlsen W. Falls and supplementation of vitamin D and calcium.  J Am Geriatr Soc 54:1020-1021, 2006.

• Gau JT, Shibeshi M, Rafique M, Barcikowski R, Meyer D, Clay S, Carlsen C. Clinical manifestations of urinary tract infections (UTI) among hospitalized geriatric patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006, 54(4):S103.  Poster presentation at 2006 AGS Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

• Gau JT, Clay S, Carlsen W.  Parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, and calcium intake.  JAMA. 295:1769-1770; 2006.

•  Gau JT, Carlsen W, Tomc M; Jenkinson S, Shen R, Clay S. (October 2005) “An elderly woman with asthma and eosinophilia presenting with fluctuating hoarseness and laryngopyocele.” Letter to the editor. J Am Geriatr Soc. 54:367-368, 2006.

• June 2005:  Jen-Tzer Gau received a research grant for $6500 from RSAC OU-COM for the above research project; June 2005: submitted funding request to Office of Research and Grants for $6,321;

• Gau JT. “An Elderly Woman with Asthma and Eosinophilia Presenting with Hoarseness and a Laryngopyocele.” Poster at the AGS May, 2005.

Timothy Heckman

• Johnson, C.J., Heckman, T.G., et al. (in press).  Adherence to antiretroviral medication in older adults living with HIV/AIDS: A comparison of alternative models.  AIDS Care.

• Mohr, D., Vella, L., Hart, S.L., Heckman, T.G., & Simon, G.E. (2008).  The effect of telephone-administered psychotherapy on symptoms of depression and attrition: A meta-analysis.  Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 15, 243-253.

• Ransom D, Heckman TG, Anderson T, Garske J, Holroyd K, Basta T. (2008). Telephone-Delivered, interpersonal psychotherapy for HIV-infected rural persons with depression: a pilot trial.  Psychiatric Services. 59(8): 871-7.

• Lovejoy TI, Heckman TG, Sikkema KJ, Hansen NB, Kochamn A, Suhr JA, Garske JP, Johnson CJ.  (2008).  Patterns and correlates of sexual activity and condom use behavior in persons 50-plus years of age living with HIV/AIDS.  Aids and Behavior.  12(6):943-56.

• Presented a poster in the OOA/CORE Poster Competition entitled: Coping Intervention for HIV-Infected Older Adults, which tied for first place.

• Presented poster at Annual Congress of the World Psychiatry Association, Florence, Italy.

Allison Batchelor

• September, 2008: Geriatric Noon Seminar, An Introduction to the Care of the Older Adult

• October, 2008: Infectious Disease Challenges in the Elderly, Salt Fork

• September, 2008: Psychiatric Issues in the Nursing Home/Use of Antipsychotic Medication at the Defense Research Institute Nursing Home Liability Seminar, Orlando FL.

• April, 2009: Geriatric Noon Seminar, April Normal Aging: A Practical Overview

• Reviewer for American Family Physician

Deborah Meyer

• May, 2009: Institute for People with Disabilities, New York City. Ethical Issues and Cultural Considerations: A Framework for Analysis.
• May, 2008: Institute for People with Disabilities, New York City. “Technology and Home Health: Ethical Dilemmas & Decisions.
• Technology: Bringing it Home. May, 2007. Presented at the National Institute for People with Disabilities, New York City.
• Technology & the Elderly: Ethical Considerations. March, 2007. Geriatric Medicine Noon Conference.
• Technology and Multidisciplinary Teams: Ethical Considerations. May, 2006: Presented at the National Institute for People with Disabilities, New York City,
• Meyer D. (April, 2006). “Technology, Job Satisfaction and Retention:  Rural Mental Health Practitioners. The Journal of Rural Health; 22 (2): 158-163
• Meyer D. (August, 2005). “Access and attitude of rural AHPs to CPD and training;” International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation; 12 (8): 362-362.
• May, 2005: Presented at the National Institute for People with Disabilities, New York City, “Technology: How Does it Fit in Your Practice?”
• May, 2005: Poster accepted, along with Jane Hamel-Lambert, Ph.D, and John Borchard, RN, for National Rural Health Association meeting 5;
• Winter, 2005: The Journal of Rural Health, “Recruiting and Retaining Mental Health Professionals to Rural Communities: An Interdisciplinary Course In Appalachia”;
• Abstract reviewer for 2005 American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting.

Faculty and staff collaborate with other colleges and organizations to provide interprofessional programs:

• Dr. Meyer co-taught a course Fall, 2007, entitled Interprofessional Rural Gerontology (HLTH369G) with faculty from the Department of Social Work and College of Health and Human Sciences.

• Drs. Carlsen and Meyer participate in quarterly meetings of the Gerontology Network, an interprofessional group facilitated by Leslie Johnson, LISW, Ph.D. from The Voinovich Center. The meetings bring together faculty from across campus to discuss research projects, exchange ideas and collaborate. Dr. Carlsen co-founded the the group in 2006.

• Ellen Peterson facilitates a biweekly CPE/CME video-conference series, “Geriatric Noon Seminars,” that is attended by healthcare providers and mental health providers at 4 sites, and medical students and physicians at 3 sites.

• GM/G faculty present in about ¼ of the programs.

Handouts, sign-in sheets and evaluations are posted at http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/geriatrics/workshops.html

• Eighteen interdisciplinary geriatrics/gerontology seminars for physicians and other health professionals were held the first and third Mondays of each month at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens. In 2007/08, a total of 317 individuals participated in Athens and 221 at the remote sites (up from 101 in 2007 at the remote sites). From July, 2007, through June, 2008, the average attendance in Athens was 17.6 and at 12.3 at the remote sites (up from 6.75in 2007). The increases at the remote sites are significant considering that there were 4 fewer programs.

• Drs. Carlsen and Meyer collaborate with COGAP, the Ohio Geriatrics Society, and the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center on the 2009 Salt Fork Statewide Geriatric Medicine CME Conference for primary care physicians. Dr. Carlsen, along with Ellen Peterson participated in the conference in October, 2008. 

On occasion, members of the department will teach a course elsewhere within Ohio University, in part to develop geriatric/gerontology interests of undergraduate students, to develop wider appreciation of working in a rural environment and to develop the skills necessary to work on interprofessional teams.

• Deborah Meyer co-taught “Interprofessional Rural Gerontology,” Fall, 2007.

Funded Proposals

• September 2008: Gau: “Unexplained fatigue in the elderly.”  Clark, B., Gau, J., Russ, D.  Internal grant.

• June 16, 2009: Gau: “Hydration status and cognitive performance in rural elderly.”  Patterson, SM., Suhr, J., Gau, J.  Submitted to NIH

•  December 11, 2008: Gau: “A pilot study of muscle metabolic supply and demand characteristics in older individuals with and without unexplained fatigue.”  Russ, D., Gau, J., Clark, B.  Internal grant.

• 2009:Meyer: Co-Pi: Department of Health and Human Services, Geriatric Education Center: Collaborated with four other medical schools in Ohio in writing grant to fund the Western Reserve Geriatric Center. OU-COM, Department of GM/G budgeted for $54,000.

• November, 2008: Meyer: Co-PI: 2008: Webcams and Improved Quality of Life Among Nursing Home Residents. $5,000.

• June, 2009:  Competitive Research Grants through RSAC with a proposal entitled SHARE Kenya.  Gillian Ice, Ph.D., is co-investigators: $1,750.

• 2009: T. Heckman, J. Gau, V. Heh, B. Heckman and R. Barcikowski.  Title: Telephone Delivered Coping Improvement Intervention for HIV-Infected Older Adults.  Sponsor: NIH, just received year 3 funding in the amount of $364,355.00.  This is a 4 year study.

• 2007: Deborah Meyer: Co-Pi: Department of Health and Human Services, Geriatric Education Center: Collaborated with four other medical schools in Ohio in writing grant to fund the Western Reserve Geriatric Center. OU-COM, Department of GM/G budgeted for $60,000.

• 2007: Athens Foundation and Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Foundation: Co-PI with Kathy Trace, MHA, BSN, RN, is Director Clinical and Community Health Programs. Access to Health Care for Athens County Senior Adults for $20,000. We were selected to move on to the full proposal phase.

• 2007: Deborah Meyer and Wayne Carlsen received $6,500 grant from OU-COM Research and Scholarly Affairs for a pilot study, Nursing Aids: Where do They Go?

• 2006: Jen-Tzer Gau: Received $6,500 grant from OU-COM Research and Scholarly Affairs for Evaluating the Problem of Clinical Constipation in Hospitalized Older Adults. 

• March 2005 - Faculty and staff members collaborated with four other medical schools in Ohio to submit a grant renewal that funds the Western Reserve Geriatric Center. The five year grant will bring $60,000 to the Department of GM/G to support interprofessional educational programs for faculty, students and providers.

• June 2005:  Jen-Tzer Gau received a research grant for $6500 from RSAC OU-COM for the above research project;

• President, Athens County Habitat for Humanity: Board and executive committee member
• Chair Eco Committee for Athens County Habitat for Humanity
• Past co-chair Athens County Habitat for Humanity Women Raise the Roof

Ellen Peterson

• Organizes and leads a Sunday evening church service during the month of December for the Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare patients

• Volunteers with the Friends & Neighbors Community Food Center in Coolville, Ohio

• Board of Directors of the United Appeal for Athens