The San Diego Imperial Geriatric Education Center is working to address care gaps and improve health outcomes for older adults, strengthen training of the geriatric workforce, and build age-friendly and dementia-friendly health systems and communities.

The GWEP Coordinating Center will hold its first national meeting of the newly funded GWEPs December 4-5 in Betheda, MD! Roopali Gupta and Jennifer Reichstadt plan to attend on behalf of the San Diego Imperial Geriatric Education Center and look foward to sharing details with the group upon their return!

We are pleased to share the recording of Paul Downey, President and CEO of Serving Seniors, presenting Grand Rounds for the Divisions of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care at UC San Diego.

In his talk, “Older Adult Homelessness: Causes and Solutions,”  Mr. Downey dives deep into the systemic factors driving homelessness among older adults and discusses practical, evidence-based solutions to address this growing crisis. His insights are invaluable for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and anyone working to improve the lives of vulnerable populations.

The Age Friendly Care and Education Collection is a curated online collection of educational, clinical, and research resources for educators, health professionals, learners, and others interested in improving care for older adults. This fully searchable collection includes citations and links to resources including geriatric competencies, clinical guidelines, education toolkits / modules, case studies, clinical tools, preceptor materials, patient and caregiver education materials, journal articles, videos, and more. The Age-Friendly Collection is part of the Minnesota Northstar GWEP, with several contributions to the collection by GWEPs from across the country!

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize and honor the essential contributions of family caregivers who provide care and support to loved ones facing health challenges, disabilities, or aging-related needs. A special thank you to all of our SDIGEC partners, who are working to support and improve the lives of caregivers!

"The Importance of Geriatrics and Palliative Care Services for Trauma"

Dr. Laura Haines & Samantha Gambles Farr

Laura Haines, MD, FACS

Dr. Laura Haines is an Associate Professor in the Division of Trauma, Burns and Acute Care Surgery at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. She serves as the Trauma Medical Director, Medical Director for the Surgical ICU and Program Director for the Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Fellowships. Dr. Haines has an active outcomes research program focusing on health disparities in surgical care, injury prevention and outcomes in trauma and emergency general surgery 

patients. She has over 55 peer reviewed publications, several book chapters and serves as a reviewer for multiple national and international core specialty journals. In addition, she has serves in national leadership with the Surgical Critical Care Program Director’s Society and as Chair for San Diego Imperial County Committee on Trauma for the American College of Surgeons.

Samantha Gambles Farr, MSN, APRN, AGACNP

Samantha Gambles Farr has served healthcare for over 20 years. She currently works as a Nurse Practitioner Intensivist in the Surgical Intensive Care Nurse Practitioner for UC San Diego in the Department of Trauma, Burns, Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery. She also holds specialty certifications as a Registered Nurse First Assist and Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee (NPAC) to the Board

of Registered Nurses (BRN). This is the first legislatively mandated committee for California NPs as a requirement of AB890. Her body of work includes serving on boards, task forces, and providing organizational leadership, consulting, and teaching. It is within these platforms on which Samantha shares resources for CNAs, RNs, and Nurse Practitioners who service community groups, nonprofits, local and state healthcare facilities. She facilitates the planning, analysis, and educational understanding for broader community use for special projects and professional advancement in healthcare for individuals.

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Special Announcement: Continuing Education Credits now available for Social Workers!

Please e-mail Sasha Weiss (saweiss@health.ucsd.edu) to be added to the GGPC Grand Rounds invite list and receive the zoom link.

download flier pdf

download flier pdf

For more information, contact Judith Martinez at jemartinez@alz.org 

This week, Dementia Care Aware (DCA) announced an exciting new partnership with West Health, aimed at enhancing efforts to support dementia care across California. While more details about this partnership will be shared soon, DCA remains a vital resource for healthcare providers and caregivers, offering tools and information to improve dementia care. The valuable resources already available on the DCA website, including training modules and clinical guides, will continue to be accessible, ensuring ongoing support for those dedicated to addressing the needs of individuals living with dementia.

If you have not already seen this valuable resource, check out the Dementia-Friendly Activities Toolkit developed by San Diego County’s Aging & Independence Services. It includes activities and resources that support the needs of people living with dementia and makes it easier for them to remain engaged in pleasurable and interesting activities. This toolkit is now available in 9 languages, with downloadable versions on their website.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of grant number U1QHP53055, Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Project award totaling $5 million. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

San Diego / Imperial Geriatric Education Center

Questions? Contact us at:

jreichstadt@health.ucsd.edu