Long-Term Vision for Long-Term Care a Focal Point at AGS 2015 Annual Meeting

Long-Term Vision for Long-Term Care a Focal Point at AGS 2015 Annual Meeting

In the 5 minutes it takes to read this article, more than 100 Americans will come to need long-term care. Annually, their collective numbers swell as high as 12 million. By 2050, that figure could more than double—representing some 27 million older adults who will require the guidance and expertise of skilled geriatrics professionals working in long-term care settings.

In confronting the reality that long-term services will be needed at least once by 70% of all older adults, geriatrics care providers are recognizing the importance of cutting-edge tools, care delivery models, best practices, and innovations for sustaining the quantity and quality of such elder care. In this context, the 2015 American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting will help address these shifting needs.

Held May 15 to 17 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD, AGS15 represents a “premier educational event” in geriatrics, explains Program Chair Matthew McNabney, MD: “This is an opportunity for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, social workers, managed care providers, administrators, and many others on the frontlines of long-term care to come together to address present challenges and future trends.” With more than 100 events comprising the conference program—including the select long-term care highlights profiled below—Dr. McNabney summarizes that AGS15 will help “turn a critical eye toward guidance for keeping older adults healthy, empowered, and informed as their needs change—and as health professionals strive to meet, address, and respect these new realities.”

Innovations in Care Delivery: Disruptive Strategies for Enhancing Care of Nursing Home Residents

Friday, May 15, 7:30-9:00 am

This symposium will feature an interactive panel discussion on examples of and evidence supporting innovative care delivery for older adults in nursing homes. Core content will help colleagues strategize solutions in an interdisciplinary environment, and refine opportunities for implementing and evaluating potential programs.

Gaps in the Framework: The Conundrum of Quality Measurement for Complex Patients

Friday, May 15, 2:45-4:15 pm

This symposium will highlight actionable examples of conceptual challenges to measuring quality of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Insights will help geriatrics experts identify patients with MCCs, avoid the pitfalls of “usual” quality measures, describe patient-reported outcomes and how they impact clinical practice, and begin to uncover lingering gaps in quality measurement platforms.

Improving the Transition from Hospital to Nursing Facility: Models that Make it Better

Saturday, May 16, 7:30-9:00 am

This session will offer an overview of successful models for transitioning patients from hospitals to nursing facilities. Participants will learn about barriers to better transitional care and optimal processes that lead to enhanced outcomes for the hospital-to-skilled-nursing-facility transition.

Improving the Health and Healthcare of Older Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions

Saturday, May 16, 12:30-2:00 pm

Targeting clinicians, researchers, and others interested in improving healthcare delivery, this AGS15 symposium will enhance contextual understanding for the increased focus placed on the health of older adults living with MCCs. Long-term care professionals who participate in the session will learn to discuss evidence guiding care of MCC patients and embrace new data that can inform clinical practice and healthcare delivery moving forward.

Is it the Right Time to Talk? End-of-Life Discussions for Common Chronic Conditions

Saturday, May 16, 12:30-2:00 pm

Having end-of-life conversations with patients is never easy. Through case study analysis, this clinical practice session will explore effective strategies for communicating long-term care objectives. Participants will examine approaches to the complexity of end-of-life care in patients with cancer, congestive heart failure, and several other complex conditions.

Geriatrics Literature Update 2015

Sunday, May 17, 7:30-9:00 am

William J. Hall, MD, MACP, Paul H. Fine Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will review 30 seminal journal articles published in 2014 and of potential impact for the geriatrics field. His presentation will help attendees identify areas in clinical medicine where new strong evidence has emerged and engage in a dialogue on and critical appraisal of such scholarship to chart a course forward.