Needs Statement

This 4-hour course is designed to educate primary care providers and hospitalists with a diverse patient population to manage common geriatric presentations effectively. The course will focus on geriatric clinical issues commonly encountered in both inpatient and outpatient care settings.  This will be presented didactically by geriatric faculty nationally recognized for their expertise in chronic disease management, and will involve best practice strategies and education through case studies and lectures. A 1 hour CME for ethics is included. Each session will include time for questions and answers and an audience response system will allow immediate feedback regarding CME test questions. A full syllabus of educational materials will be provided.

The need for care for older adults has never been bigger, and it is only growing. The combination of the aging of the Baby Boom population and an increase in life expectancy will mean that older adults make up a much larger percentage of the U.S. population than ever before. It is estimated that we will need 20,000 board certified geriatricians to take care of 14 million older Americans. However there are currently less than 8,000 board certified Geriatricians to serve this need.  The Institute of Medicine’s landmark report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, states “unless action is taken immediately, the health care workforce will lack the capacity to meet the needs of older patients in the future.” Primary Care continues to be the backbone of medical care for older Americans, and it is important to understand geriatric principles in order to provide the best care for our older adults. The purpose of this interactive course is for non-Geriatricians to learn to effectively identify, evaluate, and treat conditions unique to the elderly.

Target Audience

Primary Care Providers, Internists, Family Medicine Practitioners, Hospitalists, General Medicine, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of the conference, participants should be able to:

• Apply current evidence-based concepts in geriatric medicine to daily practice caring for elders
• Identify psychosocial problems and ethical issues in decision-making
• Diagnose and manage the major geriatric syndromes
• Identify basic principles of geriatric medicine, transition of care and Optimizing Prescribing in Older Adults.

Educational Methods

Lecture, Audience Response System, and Question and Answer

Activity Evaluation

Evaluation by questionnaire will address program content, presentation, and possible bias.

Course Directors

Syed Nasrat Imam, M.D.
Associate Professor
Medicine-Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Medical Director, Connected Care
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas

Angela Catic, M.D. MEd
Assistant Professor and Fellowship Program Director
Medicine-Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Co-PI, Southeast Texas GWEP
Staff Physician, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston

Topics/Program:

Please see program tab and attached brochure for additional details. 

Common Session: 

Breakout group – Primary Care: 

Breakout Group – Hospitalists: