Momentum Discussions

Covering a broad range of aging topics, these discussions highlight the latest research and innovative solutions. Audience participation is encouraged to explore ways to improve the lives of older adults.

Thursday, November 14

Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Seattle Convention Center, Arch

Thursday, November 14, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 4C-2

Americans are living longer than ever before. But it turns out our lifespans have more to do with our zip code than our genetic code. And when it comes to our health, there are big disparities. Gender, education, race, income, and location all have an impact. Having a positive mindset and sense of purpose are health-enhancing, but there is only so much individuals can do. To create a society where aging is easier, we need to move away from piecemeal solutions and toward a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of the issues we face. During this session, Debra Whitman, author of The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond, will join other experts to explore the latest research on the crucial questions of aging, share insights into what we can all do to stay healthy, and understand which policies can best support us.

Moderator: Sarita A. Mohanty, MD, MPH, MBA
President & CEO
SCAN Foundation

Panelists:

Jaimie Steinmetz, PhD
Lead Research Scientist
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)

Bea Rector, MPA, CDE
Assistant Secretary
Aging and Long-Term Support Administration
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services

Featured panelist:

Debra Whitmen, PhD
Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer
AARP

Thursday, November 14, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 608

The interdisciplinary role in vaccinating older adults involves a collaborative effort across various healthcare professionals, each contributing their expertise to ensure high vaccination rates, proper education, and better overall health outcomes. This session will provide insight into the impactful and essential roles and contributions of primary care providers, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, public health professionals, geriatricians, caregivers, and health educators. Panelists will also address the importance of addressing the cultural needs of their patients. The discussion will address the importance of comprehensive care, effective communication and the need to establish trust and adherence among older adults. This collaborative approach ensures that older adults receive the vaccinations they need, that cultural diversity is recognized and respected, and they are supported by a network of professionals working together to improve health outcomes.

Moderator: Rebecca Wingate, PharmD, MBA
Vice President, Clinical Operations
PharMerica

Panelists:

Peggy Brekke, RN, IP, CDP, CALN, CLNC
Director of Nurse Consulting Servicers
PharMerica

Laura Medders, LCSW
Administrative Director
Emory Integrated Memory Care

Chad Worz, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP
Chief Executive Officer
The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists

Thursday, November 14, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 609

Although much of the care for people with dementia is managed by primary care providers, prompt and effective referrals from primary care to a neurologist is indicated in a variety of situations, including when there is the potential for the person to be a candidate for disease-modifying treatment. With the advent of exciting new therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease, it is vital that interprofessional teams facilitate prompt and effective referrals to neurologists for individuals living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer’s disease. During this discussion, two neurologists and a primary care provider will describe who may benefit from disease-modifying treatments for MCI and early Alzheimer’s disease and the vital need for expeditious neurology referrals for them. The panel of experts will then examine how primary care teams can facilitate timely, effective neurology referrals and describe successful care journeys to disease-modifying therapies experienced by persons living with MCI and early Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners.

Moderator: Michael Hornbecker MD
US Fellowship Lead
Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
Healthcare System Preparedness Program

Panelists:

Barak Gaster, MD
Professor of Medicine, General Internal Medicine
University of Washington
Director, Cognition in Primary Care

Justin Moon, MD, MPH
Director
Denver Neurological Clinic

Michael Rosenbloom, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology, UW Medicine
Director of Clinical Trials, Medicine Memory and Brain Wellness Center
Co-Investigator, Clinical Core, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Thursday, November 14, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 611

More so now than ever before, people are entering older adulthood with another serious, progressive chronic disease to manage: the disease of obesity. While contemporary methods of treating obesity exist, a variety of issues—including stigma and bias, lack of insurance coverage of the full continuum of care, and the lack of widespread recognition of obesity as a disease requiring treatment across the lifespan—continue to limit many older adults’ ability to access quality obesity care. During this discussion, experts will examine these barriers and explore how seven strategies developed by GSA can accelerate improvements in care for older adults living with the chronic disease of obesity.

Moderator: John A. Batsis, MD, FACP, AGSF, FGSA, FTOS
Associate Professor
Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine
Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Panelists:

Anthony G. Comuzzie, PhD, FTOS
Chief Executive Officer
The Obesity Society

Tiffany M Cortes, MD
Assistant Professor
Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies
Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Research Health Scientist
San Antonio GRECC
South Texas Veterans Health Care System

Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP
Vice President, Policy and Professional Affairs
Gerontological Society of America

Friday, November 15

Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Seattle Convention Center, Arch

Friday, November 15, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 608

Recent innovations in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia include breakthroughs in diagnostics and therapeutics along with continued discoveries around risk reduction. This year brought the implementation of the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, a Medicare payment and service delivery model. In this discussion, experts will discuss these advances and consider how these and other innovations on the horizon can improve care and outcomes for individuals at risk for or with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and their families.

Moderator: Katie Selzler, PhD
Medical Affairs & Scientific Communications Lead
Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
Healthcare System Preparedness Program

Panelists:
Amy Boehm
Senior Health Systems Director
Alzheimer's Association

Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPH
Richard M. Fairbanks Professor of Aging Research
Professor of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Surgery
Founding Director and Implementation Scientist, Center for Health Innovation & Implementation Science
Indiana University School of Medicine
Director, Care Innovation, Eskenazi Health

Patti LaFleur, MEd, CDP
Youth and Lighthouse Outreach Lead
Lorenzo's House

Laura Medders, LCSW
Administrative Director
Emory Integrated Memory Care

Benjamin Tiede, PhD, MPP
Executive Director
Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease

Friday, November 15, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 609

Age discrimination in healthcare, also known as ageism, is the systematic and unjust treatment of individuals based on their age, particularly older adults, within healthcare settings. According to Ungar et. al. “Pervasive ageism in health care is particularly destructive since it negatively affects health survival and trajectories of health and well-being of older persons and curtails individuals’ capacity to contribute to societal goals.” This discrimination can manifest in various forms and can have significant negative impacts on the health and well-being of older patients. Join us for this GSA Momentum Discussion in which a panel of leaders in health professions education will elucidate the issues of ageism in the healthcare, why higher education should be involved, and share reflections and opinions on how to effect change on this deeply rooted cultural issue.

Moderator: Marilyn R. Gugliucci, MA, PhD, AGHEF, GSAF, AGSF, NAOMEF
Vice President
Gerontological Society of America
Professor
Director, Geriatrics Education and Research
Director, U-ExCEL Older Adult Fitness/Wellness Program
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine

Panelists:
Mark Brennan-Ing, PhD
Director of Research and Evaluation
Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging
Hunter College
City University of New York

Andrew Steward, PhD, LCSW
Assistant Professor of Social Work
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

Friday, November 15, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 611

Caregiving has evolved from being an often overlooked, unpaid role to one that is increasingly recognized for its economic and social value. In 2023, a new report suggested that if the work of unpaid caregivers were compensated, it would be valued at more than $600 billion annually.  Over the past decade both unpaid and professional caregiving roles have gained more attention through policy changes, financial recognition, and institutional support, marking a significant evolution in how caregiving is valued.  This Momentum Discussion will address how the recognition of caregivers has evolved over the past 10 years, the current environment for family caregivers, how caregiving differs among different cultures, and gaps and challenges in family caregiving.  This session will also describe a new payment opportunity to strengthen skills of family caregivers of older adults.

Moderator: Terri Harvath, PhD, FGSA, Chair
Past GSA Board Chair
Clinical Professor (Ret.)
University of Minnesota, School of Nursing
Former Director for the Family Caregiving Institute
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis

Panelists:
Alan B. Stevens, PhD, FAPA, FGSA
Director, Center for Applied Health Research
Baylor Scott & White Health

Mike Splaine
Owner/Principal
Splaine Consulting

Theodore Johnson, MD, MPH
Chair, Family and Prev Med
Paul Seavey Chair and Chief, GIM
Wesley Woods Health Center

Friday, November 15, 2024 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST Location: Room 612

Our society is transforming, and quickly. Life expectancy has risen by 17 years since the Social Security program debuted in the United States nearly 90 years ago. This comes with tremendous opportunities, but it also comes with headwinds. One path to greater knowledge and later years in life filled with meaning and fulfillment is through lifelong learning. Longevity and lifelong learning are closely intertwined, as both contribute significantly to a fulfilling and enriched life.

One of the headwinds might be the institutions of higher learning themselves. In today’s world, higher education faces an enrollment cliff due to demographics shifts. Combined with a confluence of other trends — advances in technology and older learners who want to complete undergraduate degrees, work on graduate studies, or take certificate programs to extend their work skills— institutions face challenges that also create opportunities.

The good news is that the GSA Age Inclusivity in Higher Education (AIHE) initiative supports institutions by putting people and systems in place that can transform higher education to be a destination for some and serve as an engine for all. By expanding the scope of recruitment efforts to include learners of all ages, expanding curricular offerings, and increasing the accessibility of the physical environment, insightful leaders in higher education are seeing that the enrollment cliff they face with young applicants can be transformed into an economic lift for the institution.

In this Momentum Discussion, a panel of experts will discuss these trends and describe age-inclusive programs and innovations in higher education that can provide meaningful and productive experiences for age-diverse learners across their life course.

To this end, panelists will highlight programs aligned with the seven domains of the AIDHE model: Teaching & Learning, Services & Resources, Student Affairs, Physical Environment, Research, Personnel, and Outreach & Engagement. As panelists also will describe, AIHE programs go far beyond meeting the needs of age-diverse learners - they also aim to meet the professional and personal needs of age-diverse faculty and staff.

Moderator: Joann M. Montepare, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE, FAPA
Professor Emerita of Psychology, Lasell University
Faculty Fellow, Gerontology Department and Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston

Panelists:
Surya Kolluri, CRPC™
Head of TIAA Institute

Nancy Morrow-Howell, MSW, PhD
Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy
Co-Director, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging
Brown School of Social Work
Washington University in St. Louis

Michelle M. Porter, PhD
Professor
Kinesiology and Recreation Management
Director, Centre on Aging
University of Manitoba

Jodi Waterhouse, MHA
Director, Strategic Partnerships & Programs
CU Anschutz Multidisciplinary Center on Aging
Office of Vice-Chancellor of Health Affairs
Department of Medicine | Division of Geriatrics
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Find these sessions and more on the GSA 2024 program website. Start building your schedule for GSA 2024 today!

GSA 2024 Program Website

Momentum Discussions