December 2024 Issue | Volume 18, Number 12

A publication of the Univ. of Utah Center on Aging
phone: 801.213.4156 | email: aging@utah.edu
Newsletter Archives

 

We would like to extend our Best Wishes to you for the upcoming Holiday Season, and joyful tidings for the coming new year. 

As the holiday season approaches, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the warm welcome I've received since joining the University of Utah community. It's been a pleasure getting to know some of you. And, I am looking forward to learning more about the breadth and depth of research related to aging across campus.

This time of year is perfect for reflecting on our achievements and looking forward to the opportunities ahead. I am incredibly proud of the existing team and infrastructure to support research across the lifespan.  I am excited about what the future holds for us. Without the leadership and guidance of Dr. Mark Supiano over the last 20 years, the Center on Aging would not be where it is today.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, relaxation, and time spent with loved ones. Please take this time to recharge and enjoy the festivities. I look forward to starting the new year with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Dr. Alayne Markland

The 2025 Center on Aging Pilot and Innovations Grant announcements are coming soon to your inbox. We will again use the two step process for each announcement. Starting with a letter of intent that will be due in February as the first step.

 

Dr. Erika Pliner is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah. Her research applies core competencies on biomechanics, ergonomics, and neuroscience to improve personal and occupational safety. Specifically, she quantifies biomechanical and neural parameters of dynamic activities with 3D motion capture and mobile electroencephalogram (EEG), leveraging this knowledge towards safer solutions. Dr. Pliner funded the entirety of her research training through fellowships. These grants comprised the NIH F32 and T32, the Whitaker International Fellowship and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She obtained her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and received her BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Pliner enjoys hiking and playing pickleball.

Dr. Pliner’s Center of Aging Pilot Grant, “Electrocortical Activity of Effective Stepping”, is in collaboration with Dr. Peter Fino in the Department of Health & Kinesiology at the University of Utah. Step training is a promising fall prevention intervention. The high frequency of older adult falls combined with our aging population drives the need to optimize the benefit of fall prevention interventions like step training. Step training has been successful in reducing fall rates in older adults, but the effectiveness has varied. This variability is partially due to a lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms of step training benefits across populations and paradigm design factors. In this project, we aim to link age-related and paradigm design factors of effective stepping to motor-cognitive processes. This knowledge is necessary to optimize step training paradigms – increasing efficacy of fall prevention interventions and reducing the time and resources towards these interventions.

See this blog post from Dr. Timothy Farrell regarding "Reframing Aging: The Power of Language in Addressing Older Adults": HealthFeed Blog / University of Utah Health

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Congratulations to Dr. Jorie Butler, lead author of the following JAGS paper:

The Age‐Friendly Learning Healthcare System: Replicating electronic health record based documentation metrics for 4Ms care - Butler - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society - Wiley Online Library

Other Center on Aging members who are co-authors on this manuscript include Dr. Timothy Farrell, Dr. Megan Puckett, and Dr. Mark Supiano.  This paper represents an important advance toward realizing the potential of the Age-Friendly Learning Healthcare System model at our institution.

Center on Aging member Dr. Timothy Farrell and others had an article featured in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS).  The title of their article was "American Geriatrics Society Position Statement: Making Medical Treatment Decisions for Unrepresented Older Adults".  

This paper is an official position statement of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and updates the 2017 AGS position statement, Making Medical Treatment Decisions for Unbefriended Older Adults. In this updated position statement, the term “unbefriended” is replaced by “unrepresented” as a term that is more value-neutral, more accurately describes the circumstance in which a person without medical decision-making capacity does not have recognized surrogate representation, and better aligns with increasingly preferred terminology as reflected in recent medical literature.

 

 

The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research (GFMR), in partnership with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), created the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships in Aging Research to encourage and further the careers of postdoctoral fellows who are conducting research in the basic biology of aging, as well as translating advances in basic research from the laboratory to the clinic. The award is intended to provide significant research and training support to permit these postdoctoral fellows to become established in the field of aging.

It is anticipated that up to 12 one-year grants will be awarded in 2025. The grant is $75,000, of which a minimum of $54,840 (*see note below) is to be used for salary and the remainder to be used for allowable expenses (research supplies, equipment, health insurance, travel to scientific meetings where the Fellow is presenting his/her biology of aging research, and relevant research and educational training).

Please refer to the Letter of Intent instructions. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. All Letters of Intent must uploaded here.

American Geriatrics Society 

May 8-10, 2025 

Chicago , IL

Please join the University of Utah, Division of Geriatrics and the Veteran Affairs Salt Lake City Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center for Geriatric Grand Rounds and Translational Grand Rounds on Tuesday mornings.

Governor Cox – January 14 Older Adult Issue Symposium

Final details are being put in place for this event that represents an opportunity for the Governor to outline his priorities for the year and legislative session. This is the first time I remember the focus dedicated older adult issues and will include moderated panels and a keynote speaker TBA. Executive Director Ence has been deeply involved in the planning of the panels, topics, and program with the governor’s staff. More to come. All the statutory members of the Commission will receive a personal invitation from the Governor. Other core issues include age-friendly aging in place, food sufficiency, fraud protection, and income sustainability – including the Governor’s support to completely eliminate the state tax on Social Security Income. The team is aware of the Master Plan on Aging (MPA) and intent on synchronizing up common themes.

Community Partner Engagements.

Enrollment season for Medicare changes recently closed. Working with area agency SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) to assess counselor overload and training adequacy. Most are very effective but some challenging transfer rules are complicated even for national Medicare hotline experts. Families need additional outreach assistance when making these decisions.

Executive Director Ence taught Troy Andersen’s Social Work class briefing students on the MPA and talked legislative process as well as post-election local and national policy expectations and concerns.

Other engagements include University of Utah Donaghue Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee, MPA leadership roles on sector guidance for 2025 plans including Andrea Harris as referred by Dr. Tim Farrell, Center for Health Care Strategies MPA ongoing resource, POLST registry strategy session with state and key stakeholders including IHC, falls prevention partners (and updated the related website pages), and began planning for 2025 Arts in Aging festival with organizing committee.

Working with Senator Mike McKell and UCOA legal expert, Troy Wilson, JD, on the Uniform Health-Care Decisions in the upcoming legislative session. Updating Utah statute which includes the removal of barriers to successful advance directive completion, clarifies definitions of capacity, and establishes an agent of last resort for unbefriended or orphaned adults. Engaged the One Utah Healthcare Collaborative about supporting the e-registry concept for advance care planning documents and to assist with research related to the medical and societal cost of not having these documents.

Creating with DHHS a caregiver stakeholder survey to assess interest in supporting and funding statewide Caregiver Roundtable and survey

Happy Holidays to all UCOA’s amazing colleagues and contributors!

As a mostly virtual Center, we depend on the accuracy and timeliness of our Web presence. Center members are urged to review and update their membership directory information. Please take the next few moments to review your information on the Center’s Web site. Send any updates or requests for changes and more importantly to be linked to the appropriate topic interest group(s) complete this survey and return to Heather at heather.podolan@hsc.utah.edu or aging.utah.edu.

For past issues, please visit our NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES PAGE.

The bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) - the earth’s oldest inhabitant with a life span of almost 5,000 years - is found only in Utah and five other western states. Its extraordinary longevity and ability to adapt and survive in extremely harsh environmental conditions above 10,000 feet embodies the investigative spirit and mission of the Utah Center on Aging.