As with many other advances in medicine and health, the rate of complete tooth loss or edentulism is declining in the United States. Gone are the days when the dental profession would expect to provide dentures for most persons over age 65. Now only about 27% are edentulous.1 The average number of teeth that seniors …
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Cultural Competence Needed for Excellence in Care – Arkansas State University (ASU)
Through its curriculum offerings, Arkansas State University is attempting to address the need for culturally competent health professionals. Culturally competent care has long been recognized as an integral part of health care. The increased cultural diversity among the growing elder population in the United States makes providing culturally appropriate care to our elders an imperative. …
Salivary Cortisol: Potential Biomarker for Stress in Caregivers
A recent article in this newsletter reviewed the remarkable value of saliva as a biomarker for health and diseases. At the Office for Studies on Aging (OSA), we are using saliva to capture cortisol, a biomarker for stress. Using saliva is the least invasive approach to measurement and this measures hold up reliably against blood …
AGEC Partners with the Arkansas Chronic Illness Collaborative
The Arkansas Department of Health’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and the Diabetes Prevention and Control Sections, the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, and the Arkansas Geriatric Education Center (AGEC) have have joined in a partnership to present the 10th Arkansas Chronic Illness Collaborative. The Arkansas Chronic Illness Collaborative (ACIC) is dedicated to partnering with …
Impact of Stroke Instruction Assessed
UCA students in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS) have been spending more time this year learning about stroke prevention and treatment. Stroke awareness has been incorporated into many courses within the CHBS. In addition, in November, 2010 students were able to attend a 50-minute in-service seminar about stroke that was held on …
Proton Pump Inhibitors and the Risk of Hip Fracture
Since the 1980s, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been the mainstay therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and peptic/gastric ulcers. Up to 47% of primary care patients, many of whom are over 65 years old, are using these medications on a continuous or long-term basis. PPIs work by suppressing acid secretion in gastric parietal cells …
From the Director’s Desk – Volume XI, No. 3
In April, we anticipate launching our “Geriatrics in the 21st Century” program. This initiative is aimed at health professionals interested in increasing or updating their knowledge of Geriatrics. The 160-hrs program, is made up of three distinct components which must be completed within a 12 month period. The various components include participant attendance at educational …
Palliative Care and Cancer Disease
Palliative care, as defined in the Arkansas Cancer Plan, is care that does not alter the course of a disease, but improves the quality of life. An unfortunate aspect of cancer is that chronic pain is a part of life for more than 75 percent of those with advanced stages of the disease. These figures …
Equine Assistive Therapy as an Adjunctive Therapeutic Modality
Equine assisted therapy (hippotherapy) derives its name from the Greek word “hippos,” which means “horse.” This is a specialized therapy treatment strategy using a horse’s movement to influence the physical and/or mental health patient or client. Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech-Language Pathologists utilize hippotherapy to address impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities in patients with …
Educating Educators to Improve Stroke-related Health Literacy in Older Arkansans
Understanding the signs and symptoms of stroke, as well as the importance of timely intervention, is critical for our aging population. It is even more critical for health educators in Arkansas because the stroke rate in our state is among the top three in the country. Most readers of this newsletter probably know that every …