Geriatrics

Kirstin Manges of the Perelman School of Medicine said nursing homes are usually selected for their physical environments and staff friendliness. “However, there is very little out there to allow patients or caregivers to identify how well prepared a nursing home is for a disaster or an outbreak, whether it be the flu or a pandemic,” she said.

Janet Chrzan and Adriana Perez of the School of Nursing hypothesized about the reasons women are outliving men in Philadelphia. “Women are tougher,” said Chrzan. “They have better immune systems, and they tend to survive better than men in every society.”

PIK Professor George Demiris said virtual reality has shown early promise for dementia patients, though it’s not a substitute for human contact. “We have to look at innovation and different tools to come up with new solutions to address issues of social isolation and loneliness and allow people to stay engaged and active,” he said.

Lee A. Fleisher of the Perelman School of Medicine and Rebecca Trotta of the School of Nursing discussed post-surgical cognitive changes in older adults. “The severity is really a function of what their baseline state is. So if they come in with some memory decline, what people might call mild memory problems, and they’re frail, they are at the greatest risk,” said Fleisher. “On the other side, a higher education level is protective. People who are more active, physically and mentally, are less at risk.”

Jason Karlawish of the Perelman School of Medicine said a recent study on aging and scam awareness doesn’t prove a link between susceptibility and cognitive decline in seniors. However, Karlawish says, the results “should be a call to action to health care systems, the financial services industry and their regulators.”