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This Older Americans Month, Let’s Celebrate the Strength of our Geriatrics Community

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 05-05-2021
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May is Older Americans Month (OAM). Led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM is a time to encourage and recognize the countless contributions that older people and their networks make to our communities. This year’s theme is "Communities of Strength,” reflecting the resilience of older Americans with a special emphasis on the power of connection in building strong communities. This May, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is celebrating the strength of our geriatrics community and the ways in which individually and collectively you support older Americans to maintain their function and independence as they age. All of you, our members, ...
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How to Stay Mentally Strong While Taking Care for Your Bedridden Spouse

By Thelma Duncan posted 04-18-2021
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Caregiving to a bedridden and sick spouse is mentally challenging and brings about an ordeal of stress, and that can continue for a prolonged time. In such scenarios, it becomes imperative to stay mentally and physically strong to cope with circumstances, and most importantly, provide enough care that your loved one needs. Feeling of hopelessness, helplessness and despair are commonly felt experiences. However, this should not become your way of life and it is on you to take measures to keep sanity in check while you deal with what life has thrown at you. Get important finances in place It is heart-wrenching to sit and think or accept that a day may ...
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Elderly telehealth Caregiving for the elderly during COVID-19 pandemic

By Thelma Duncan posted 04-15-2021
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The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced healthcare providers to rethink the way they offer their services. Since older adults are among the most vulnerable groups to contracting the virus and developing serious complications, their access to medical care is especially important. To address this issue, federal regulations have been revised to ease restrictions and enable providers to use telehealth services. Telehealth is a form of technology-enabled health care that involves electronic communication and remote patient monitoring. Telehealth services were used even before the pandemic as a result of advances in telecommunication technology. However, starting ...
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Ways to Make Improvements in Anxiety and Lead a Normal Life

By Thelma Duncan posted 04-06-2021
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Anxiety can be a debilitating condition, and dealing with it is not always a case of mind over matter. Living in a state of perpetual fear is exhausting and overwhelming. It is normal to experience short bouts of anxiety during a stressful situation. However, some people feel anxious even when nothing is wrong per se. Understanding and managing anxiety is complex and might require medication and therapy. However, it is a treatable condition, and here are some things you can do to build on overcoming it: Find your triggers When undergoing counselling Vernon residents can turn to Interactive Counselling for help with anxiety. Among the first things ...
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I See You: Why I’m Using My Preferred Pronouns in My Email Signature

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 03-31-2021
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Recently, as a part of my own personal journey to becoming a better ally, I’ve added my preferred pronouns to my email signature and my social media profiles. On International Transgender Day of Visibility, I thought it would be good to highlight why I think it is important for all of us to take this small step that says, “We see you.” I grew up in an era when diagramming sentences was “a thing,” and pronouns were simply words that we used to refer to a person in place of their name. As we have been implementing the body of work that Annie Medina-Walpole (our AGS President) and I laid out in our recent Journal of American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) article ...
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Wow! AGS, GWEPS, and their Primary Care Partners Celebrate Age-Friendly Health Systems Movement Reaching Significant Milestone

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 02-26-2021
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A happy dance—that’s what I did when I learned that the Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) movement has reached a significant milestone with 1,956 participants achieving Level 1 or Level 2 designation. The American Geriatrics Society is so pleased to have contributed to this achievement as an active partner in the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative that is led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF), in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). We are #AGSProud that our own Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) ...
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5 Ways to Improve Your Athletic Performance while Bodybuilding

By Thelma Duncan posted 02-15-2021
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Performing at your best every time you walk into the gym is not always possible. Sometimes you won’t be as rested or as ready to go as others. Of course, you want all of your workouts to be as productive as possible and there are some ways you can help ensure this. 1. Give your body the right fuel Improving your athletic performance may be as simple as giving your body the right nutrition. The foods you ate since your last workout will set the tone for your next one. Eat junk food and your workout will be an uphill slog all the way. Eat healthy, nutritious foods and it will be a different story. You want to supply your body with enough proteins, fats ...
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Do older adults need different vitamins?

By Thelma Duncan posted 01-30-2021
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Getting proper nutrition is challenging when you're a senior adult. As you get older, the number of calories your body needs is lower. You must make sure all calories you consume are packed with nutrition to help your body stay healthy. And even then, you can fall short of nutrition because as it ages, the body loses its efficiency to absorb nutrients. Also, your ability to taste food declines and blunts your appetite, so you find it more difficult to chew and digest some dishes. 50% of seniors age 65 need vitamins and other supplements daily to get their dose of nutrients. A healthy diet can improve nutrients intake. But they are short in some particular ...
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More Details on the National COVID-19 Strategy & Be On the Lookout for Advocacy Opportunities Next Week

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 01-22-2021
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Yesterday, President Biden’s first full day in office, the new administration released the full details of the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness . To execute the plan, the Biden Administration will establish a COVID-19 Response Office that will be responsible for coordinating the pandemic response across federal agencies. Elements of the plan will be achieved through administration action and Executive Order, or will require legislation, as noted below, as well as appropriations. Many of these strategies would allocate resources based on how hard a community has been hit (undefined) by the COVID-19 pandemic, and these determinations ...
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An AGS Breakdown of the Biden COVID-19 Plan

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 01-20-2021
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I have been so excited to see our AGS members getting vaccinated over the past couple of months – you have been our superheroes since the start of this pandemic, and I am grateful that essential health workers like you and our frailest Americans in nursing homes were prioritized for the vaccine. On social media, we have been celebrating with with members as they posted photos of themselves getting vaccinated. At the same time, like many of you, we have been concerned about the slow pace of the overall rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines and recognize that states have had varying request. Recognizing the patchwork quilt of progress in the states, AGS has continued ...
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The Many Causes Of Erectile Dysfunction

By Thelma Duncan posted 01-08-2021
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Is there a single cause for sexual performance issues? Sexual arousal can start with excitement and wonder. Too often it can end in frustration for men who experience problems when engaging in sex with their partners. The reasons behind the problem can be chemical, physical, and psychological. When it is a combination of causes, finding the right solution takes patience. Talking with partners and consulting medical experts about the possible factors that lead to male sexual dysfunction is the first step. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that develops in men of all ages. Male erections begin with sexual arousal in the brain and develop into sexual desire. ...
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How to Go From Scrawny To Brawny Using SARMs Stacks - Fitness Secrets Revealed!

By Thelma Duncan posted 01-05-2021
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As many bodybuilders and gymnasts would agree, working out to beef up muscles is like a slow journey. It educates you on your discipline, dedication, courage, your inner strength, and most importantly, about your biology! To achieve this, many resort to eating every couple of hours. Performing strength training and building muscle mass . And even include an occasional day for intermittent fasting ! While this is all good, the reality is that not many are willing to be patient, sweaty it out, and take each day as it comes. NO, SIREE. They want results, that too fast! Many even resort to taking SARM stacks to sculpt their body and ...
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The Best Organic Supplements for Performance-enhancing Effect and Muscle-building

By Thelma Duncan posted 12-17-2020
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Even if nature didn't dish out the kind of looks you covet, thanks to scientists, people can make the most of the looks they have. Just because you're over 50, too, doesn't mean you have to put up with flabby, sagging skin. After all, sagging skin is the result of skin not supported by underlying muscle. We look at ways to boost muscle building and give shape. 100% genuine muscle building products Muscles and muscle-building supplements aren't just for men, and women, too, are constantly looking for excellent muscle-building tips that will help them look leaner and stronger. Steroids USA , with their 100% genuine products direct from the manufacturer, ...
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4 Types of Medicare Advantage Plans

By Thelma Duncan posted 12-13-2020
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There are different options to choose from when it comes to Medicare Advantage plans so it’s important to take your time and consider your options before you sign up for one. That’s because your Medicare Advantage plan will determine the costs you end up incurring when the rubber meets the road as well as your experience when it’s time to make a claim. Read on for some of the plans that you have at your disposal right now. Health Maintenance Organization An HMO is basically a network that includes different types of healthcare professionals, doctors, and hospitals. As an insurance company, HMOs offer discounts to their members in exchange ...
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Dealing with Lower Back Pain from Prolonged Sitting

By Thelma Duncan posted 12-12-2020
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People who sit for long often find themselves complaining of lower back pain. You could be working on your computer for ten hours a day and cause a large amount of pressure to build in your lower back. When the built-up pressure goes unattended, it turns into lower back pain and can be very discomforting. Your lower back muscles could also exert pressure on the surrounding discs leading to excruciating pain in the lower back. You can deal with lower back pain in several ways. Sleep on a good mattress for lower back pain relief There’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep on a comfortable mattress. The challenge is to find the best mattress that can ...
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How to Embrace Nature in Your Backyard

By Thelma Duncan posted 10-30-2020
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Even before the crisis of COVID-19, so many of us were already caught up in an exhausting cycle of work and family stress, compounded by the relentless pulse of digital technology. This was particularly true for Jocelyn, a 17-year old girl from Washington, D.C. who was featured in Nature: No App Required , a film short for TakeFive , a program of The TakeCare Campaign . This is a national initiative that offers tools to help people improve their own health and well-being through messages embedded in inspirational short films. Jocelyn was feeling so constantly stressed and overwhelmed by her high school life, that she suffered frequent chest ...
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Survey on aging perceptions

By Juan Pablo Negrete Najar posted 09-19-2020
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Dear collegues, I share with you this survey (it has a Spanish and an English version) about perceptions of aging in doctors. Our intention is to know if the region and the generation to which it belongs influence the way we understand / visualize old age as doctors. There are multiple research works that suggest that we doctors are the oldest elements of the health team, these works also make it evident how old age in doctors affects the therapeutic decisions we make in older patients. Better understanding of the determinants of aging in medical personnel has the potential to eventually inform interventions to lessen it. We will sincerely thank you for helping ...
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Quick COVID-19 Survey (and a chance to shape a policy briefing this week!)

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 04-24-2020
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I’m writing today because we need our AGS members who have primary care geriatrics practices—across settings—to complete the survey conducted by the Larry A. Green Center on behalf of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) . Here in the tri-state area, the AGS staff are turning the corner on four weeks of teleworking. We hope it’s helping further your true heroism on the front lines of caring for individuals with COVID-19. We’ve watched as our members report taking on hospital shifts, changing workflows to deliver care to older adults in new ways, and grappling with the heart-breaking toll this diseases has taken on older adults and ...
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Swinging for the Fences

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 12-18-2019
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This week, a copy of the recently released 7th edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual landed on my desk. Frankly, for the AGS team, it was as if we hit a walk-off home run in the last inning of the World Series. Why were we excited? With this edition of the manual, the APA has included recommendations on bias-free language related to age (see an excerpt here) . These recommendations emanate from work begin in 2014 by the Leaders of Aging Organizations (LAO; the AGS is a founding member) and its research partner, the Frameworks Institute. These changes follow on changes that the American Medical Association (AMA) ...
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This Giving Season, #ThisIsGeriatrics

By Nancy Lundebjerg posted 12-04-2019
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Many of you know I'm a social media denizen, so it probably comes as no surprise that I keep a close eye on what's trending in the Twittersphere. One of my favorite trending topics in 2019 was the rise of a new hashtag for our field: #ThisIsGeriatrics . It's worth perusing some of the related posts, not only because they highlight significant milestones from a year when geriatrics really excelled but also because they speak to a deeper part of who our professionals are, what they aspire to accomplish, and how they are improving care for us all as we age. The posts also got me thinking about what geriatrics really "is." We're fortunate to have an abundance ...
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