Aging – GW Nursing Magazine

November 1, 2021November 10, 2021

On a Mission Toward an Age-Friendly World

The GW School of Nursing’s Center for Aging, Health and Humanities (CAHH) is on a mission: to make the world more age-friendly and livable for people throughout their span of life, by cultivating partnerships and generating innovative ideas.

The term “age-friendly” was first used by the World Health Organization in 2002 and was part of a strategy to improve the inclusion of older adults in cities and communitiesⁱ. The age-friendly movement seeks to improve the economic, physical, and social environments through the “8 domains of livability”: housing; outdoor spaces and buildings; transportation; communication and information; civic participation and employment; respect and inclusion; health services and community supports; and social participationⁱⁱ.

Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN-BC, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN, director of the CAHH, said that “age-friendly initiatives work to reduce the impact of ageism in society.” Ageism is “largely absent from the national dialogue on equity and inclusion,” she said, but it can “accelerate negative health outcomes for people,” especially at the intersection of racism and sexism. Dr. Batchelor said it is therefore a “national imperative to start and amplify the conversation about becoming more age-friendly.”

Additionally, creating an age-friendly world should be of interest to people of all ages because “what we do now to make our communities good places to grow up and grow old will yield returns not only for today’s elders but also tomorrow’s—that is, for all of us.”ⁱⁱⁱ After all, there’s one thing about aging— “everyone’s doing it.”

The CAHH has been involved with age-friendly initiatives since 2019 when it co-hosted, with the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement, a seminar featuring Dr. Terry Fulmer, in which she discussed the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative.

Since 2019, the CAHH has received three consecutive years of University Seminar Series grant funding, allowing it to host multiple age-friendly talks focused on four core areas: age-friendly businesses, health systems, arts and creativity, and long-term care workforce.

On May 4 and 5, 2021, the CAHH hosted the inaugural Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit in conjunction with its Age-Friendly regional municipality partners: Age-Friendly Alexandria, Arlington, D.C., City of Hyattsville, and Montgomery County. This summit was the first of its kind: a convening of age-friendly regional leaders designed to raise awareness of national age-friendly initiatives, inspire cross-collaboration, and learn about best practices from each of these age-friendly partners and regional thought leaders.

Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit Diagram — Figure 1: Adapted from: Fulmer, T., Patel, P., Levy, N., Mate, K., Berman, A., Pelton, L., Beard, J., Kalache, A., & Auerbach, J. (2020). Moving Toward a Global Age‐Friendly Ecosystem. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(9), 1936-1940. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16675

On day one, regional leaders presented LIVE “TED Talks” to share best practices, frameworks, and resources to advance an age-friendly ecosystem. On day two, local municipal leaders shared best practices and exemplary case studies of age-friendly initiatives. The group’s efforts were guided by a Venn diagram that depicts how various societal sectors are distinct while also connected, and are equally important in creating a wholly age-friendly society.

All of the money raised from this event helped to fund the Gene Cohen Research Award. Named after the CAHH’s founder and a pioneer in creative aging, this new scholarship is intended to support GW students to conduct interprofessional research on the impact of the arts and humanities on the health and well-being of older adults and persons with dementia.

Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit Screenshot

Interested in the work of this summit or in supporting the Gene Cohen Research Award? Click the link below to purchase the recorded summit.

Purchase Summit

The summit and this type of collaboration is important, especially in an interconnected region like the greater Washington, D.C., area. It provided an opportunity for the age-friendly municipalities to step out of their silos, share best practices, expand partnerships, and replicate good ideas. “This type of sharing, replication, and lending of expertise only improves the lives of all residents in this region—and serves as a national model for the power of collective age-friendly initiatives,” said Dr. Batchelor. The hope is for this summit model to be replicated in other regions and to see more age-friendly communities created and strengthened.

When asked about the way in which the partnership between GW and the age-friendly municipalities has made a difference, Marci LeFevre, one of the CAHH’s partners and the age-friendly program lead for the City of Hyattsville, Maryland, said:

“By partnering with one another, we’re accelerating the discovery and exploration of promising policies, programs, and practices implemented by age-friendly programs elsewhere that can be replicated in our own municipalities. This is invaluable as the DMV region has a wealth of age-friendly resources, but they’re not necessarily widely known or promoted within and beyond our respective jurisdictions… By spotlighting and seeking ways to address these trends, such as the growing number of older adults experiencing homelessness in the DMV region, we can help identify and foster needed systems-level changes within and beyond our municipalities.”

As an extension of the age-friendly efforts of the Ecosystem Summit, the CAHH was a recipient of the AARP Community Challenge Grant in 2021.

The grant was used to support the CAHH’s event on October 27, 2021, the Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge. This event brought together a diverse, intergenerational group—including students, older adults, and working professionals—to design innovative strategies for building age-friendly infrastructures. The CAHH also used this as an opportunity to establish an Age-Friendly Regional Network for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The CAHH partnered with GW Nashman Center, Georgetown University, and the age-friendly regional municipalities, and looks forward to building even more partnerships.

Read about the Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge in GW Today

i. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Towards an Age-Friendly World. https://www.who.int/ageing/age-friendly-world/en/

ii. AARP. (n.d.). The 8 Domains of Livability: An Introduction. https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/network-age-friendly-communities/info-2016/8-domains-of-livability-introduction.html

iii. Neal, M. & DeLaTorre, A. (2016), The Case for Age-Friendly Communities. Grant Makers in Aginghttps://www.giaging.org/documents/160302_Case_for_AFC.pdf

AUTHOR Meredith Lidard Kleeman

October 7, 2020June 9, 2021

A Partnership to Break Down Stereotypes About Alzheimer’s

The Office of Clinical Practice & Community Engagement (OCE), created in 2019, serves as a central resource for GW Nursing’s community engagement partnerships and activities. Led by Karen Drenkard, the school’s inaugural Associate Dean for Clinical Practice and Community Engagement, the OCE houses GW Nursing’s centers (Center for Aging, Health and Humanities and the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement), global initiatives, and community engagement initiatives.

The community engagement initiatives aim to create partnerships using GW Nursing resources — faculty, staff, and students — with community organizations to enrich service-learning, scholarship, development opportunities, creative activity and research endeavors.

At GW Nursing, we prioritize our engagement in the community as some of our most important work. We are fortunate to have a multitude of local, regional and international partners, including community service organizations and volunteer groups. The OCE aims to leverage these partnerships through a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources to enhance our curriculum, teaching and learning experiences. Our partnerships help GW Nursing prepare educated, engaged nurses who contribute to the health of the diverse communities they serve.

One of our excellent partnerships is with the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization that seeks to “lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.”

In August, the Alzheimer’s Association and GW Nursing co-hosted a virtual webinar on dementia for nurse practitioner students, community health students and capstone students. This event consisted of an Alzheimer’s case study simulation, small group discussion and a Q&A with experts, all designed to introduce nursing students and stimulate conversation around dementia. There are also volunteer opportunities for students, faculty and staff through Memory Cafés and Virtual Community Education Programs.

Through this partnership, GW Nursing and the Alzheimer’s Association both hope to break down stereotypes of Alzheimer’s for our nursing students, equipping them to become advocates and better caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Association also conducts training and outreach with established medical professionals, but their hope is, by working with nursing students before they are deployed, that our students will enter their future jobs with more compassion, knowledge and skills in their tool belt. The goal is that our students, once professionals, will understand the unique challenges that come with working with dementia patients and will help to improve the way dementia is cared for in hospitals and the health system at large.

by HALEY STEPP

October 7, 2020October 9, 2020

“This is Getting Old” – A Podcast with a Purpose

GW Nursing student with geriatric patient

Melissa Batchelor, director of the Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities and a leader in geriatric nursing, is coming up with innovative ways to disseminate content on age-friendly systems within this field and beyond. Too often, nursing and aging issues are considered to be niche topics, not relevant to general health care research, education or policy. Both, however, are of extreme importance to the entire health care system, because “when things are age-friendly, they are friendly for everyone” — an idea that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light. So how has she been able to creatively disseminate her important messages? She has a podcast.

Co-branded by the Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities, Dr. Batchelor’s “This is Getting Old” podcast employs a short, engaging format, with audio clips and accessible videos. The podcast has been viewed by people all over the world, integrated into curricula by educators, and viewed by health care practitioners as supplemental education on these important and often neglected topics.

“This is Getting Old” has tackled many issues relevant to nursing and aging. Dr. Batchelor uses this platform to amplify current research, analyze policies or share helpful tips pertaining to geriatric issues. These topics have included care for older adults with Alzheimer’s, the importance of nursing in nursing homes and COVID-19. She also brings on guests with different areas of expertise to discuss issues that are timely and important. Multiple GW Nursing faculty members who are experts in their own fields have been brought on to the podcast as guest speakers. Ellen Kurtzman discussed her work in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during her Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellowship, Ashley Darcy-Mahoney highlighted her child health research and her new role as the National Academy of Medicine Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence, and Diana Mason analyzed the importance of nurses’ representation in the media as found by the Woodhull Study.

Overall, there are two themes that run throughout this podcast series. First is that age-friendly health systems have never been more crucial given our aging world, but too often aging is still regarded as a niche practice. Second is that nurses do far more than bedside care. They have valuable expertise that is often overlooked and undervalued in health care and health policy. Full inclusion of nurses and age-friendly care into the health system at all levels will improve our health care system at large. To anyone who insists on keeping nursing and aging issues apart from general health care, we say, “This Is Getting Old.”

by HALEY STEPP

May 11, 2019October 12, 2020

A New Advocate for Geriatric Nursing at GW Aging Center

“I like to eat” may be an unusual entry point for a discussion in gerontological health care, but for Melissa Batchelor it makes perfect sense. Patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia are often robbed of this simple pleasure; swallowing problems can lead to weight loss and choking in patients with middle- and late-stage Alzheimer’s. Sometimes patients may not even recognize the food on their plate.

“There is a huge need for education and training [for Alzheimer’s caregivers], especially around mealtimes,” said Dr. Batchelor, an associate professor of nursing and geriatric nursing researcher.

She specializes in feeding patients with dementia and has advised for and appeared in AARP’s new video series, “Home Alone Alliance,” which teaches family members basic caregiving skills. Dr. Batchelor now brings her advocacy for gerontological patients to her new role as director of GW’s interprofessional Center for Aging, Health and Humanities.

In the classroom, Dr. Batchelor counsels students that “health care is not all about acute care.”

“I think it’s still a pervasive thought for students to not want to work in long-term care, but it’s an exciting and viable career path,” she said.

The center is known for its education programs and innovations in clinical process, and Dr. Batchelor plans to create a group of other researchers and clinicians in aging to build the center’s research capacity. “I want to put GW on the map for excellence in aging education and policy,” she said.

Dr. Batchelor brings the expertise and network needed to expand the center’s reach and influence.

In a previous role at Duke University, Dr. Batchelor was featured in a series of videos for NOSH: Nursing Optimizing Supportive Handfeeding, which demonstrated hand-feeding techniques for nurses and family caregivers of patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

As a health and aging policy fellow serving the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging in the office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), she worked on the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act. The legislation enabled building of public health infrastructure across the country to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health.

The president signed the BOLD Act in December 2018, and Dr. Batchelor is now eager to watch how it will be implemented over the next five to 10 years, she said.

For more information about the Center for Aging, Health and Humanities, visit go.gwu.edu/agingcenter. To see the “Home Alone Alliance” video series, visit go.gwu.edu/HomeAloneAlliance.

by RUTH ADAMS

May 11, 2019October 12, 2020

Helping Caregivers Give Care

Melissa Batchelor on steps of Capitol building

AUTHOR MELISSA BATCHELOR

On Dec. 31, 2018, the president signed into law Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, bringing much needed attention to the needs of over 5.7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

I served on the Senate’s Special Committee for Aging in the office of the chair, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), during my Health and Aging Policy Fellowship in 2018. A large part of the work I did for the senator and Aging Committee focused on Alzheimer’s disease and working to get the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s legislation passed in the 115th Congress.

More than 5 million Americans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to triple by 2050. Of the top 10 leading causes of death for older adults, Alzheimer’s is the only one that cannot be prevented, slowed down or treated.

The number of deaths from Alzheimer’s increased 145 percent between 2000 and 2019, while deaths from other diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, decreased in that time frame. The cost of unpaid family caregiving is estimated at over $232 billion and more than 18 billion hours.

While we wait for a cure, those with the disease will need care. All types of dementia are essentially “brain failure,” and providing care requires a unique set of skills. Our communities and families do not have these skills in today’s society, and the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act seeks to address this.

Headed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act will establish Centers of Excellence to implement the CDC’s Healthy Brain Initiative through state and national partnerships.

Most caregivers are friends and family members, and their lives are negatively impacted by the financial, emotional and physical cost of caring for someone with dementia. The Centers of Excellence will promote public education on early detection and diagnosis. By supporting early detection, the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act allows persons living with the disease and their caregivers more time to plan and prepare their health care and end-of-life strategies.

As the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act moves into the implementation phase, the work will be accomplished through cooperative agreements among public, private and nonprofit organizations. The CDC’s proposed action plan has one goal to monitor prevalence rates across the country. Data grants will improve the analysis of data collected on Alzheimer’s caregivers, and will illuminate health disparities at the state and national levels.

We know that Alzheimer’s disease is on track to be the costliest condition in our nation’s history and is the most under-recognized threat to public health in modern times. The BOLD Act is among the first to draw attention to the enormous burden this disease brings. There are things we know to do that help, and we need to get that information out to the public to minimize the impact Alzheimer’s has on our families, communities and the nation.