Dr. Torke to Advance Research with K23 Surrogate Decision Making Study
September, 2009

The National Institute on Aging has awarded a five-year K23 to Alexia M. Torke, MD, MS for Surrogate Decision Making for Hospitalized Older Adults.
        
“My long term goal is to improve the medical care of hospitalized older adults who are unable to make their own decisions,” notes Dr. Torke. “This award provides the training and research time needed to bring about a crucial step toward my goal—characterizing the decision making process as it occurs for these patients.”

In her K23 research, Dr. Torke will conduct a prospective, observational study of older adults and their surrogate decision makers. The specific aims of this study are to describe the frequency, characteristics, and clinical context of surrogate decisions, and to identify important determinants of successful communication and high quality decision making from the surrogate's perspective. These results will serve as the basis for future interventions to improve the care of older adults who are unable to make their own medical decisions.

How Do Doctors Really Feel About Surrogate Decision Making?
September, 2009

Read about this topic and comments from lead author Alexia M. Torke, MD, MS, in an IU School of Medicine news release.

Torke AM, Siegler M, Abalos A, Moloney RM, Alexander GC. Physicians' Experience with Surrogate Decision Making for Hospitalized Adults. J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Sep;24(9):1023-8.

Aging with GRACE: New Healthcare Delivery Model Improves Outcomes, Saves Money
August, 2009

Read an IUSM news release that describes GRACE, a team approach to preventive healthcare delivery for older adults developed by researchers from IU Geriatrics and the IU Center for Aging Research that improves health and quality of life, decreased emergency department visits and lowered hospital admission rates.

Counsell SR, Callahan CM, Tu W, Stump TE, Arling GW. Cost analysis of the Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders care management intervention. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009 Aug;57(8):1420-6.

Dr. Boustani Discusses Delirium on National Public Radio's Morning Edition
August, 2009

Listen to "Treating Delirium: An Often Missed Diagnosis," a story reported by Joseph Shapiro on August 10, 2009.

Delirium in Hospitalized Adults: Situation Critical, No Relief Available
July, 2009

According to an IU School of Medicine news release, every year as many as seven million adults in the United States experience delirium during hospitalization. What does the scientific literature have to say about delirium prevention and treatment?

Read the IUSM news release and learn what authors Noll Campbell, PharmD, Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH and Stephanie Munger, MPH discovered in their systematic review published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Dr. Counsell Named 2009-2010 Health and Aging Policy Fellow
July, 2009

Steven R. Counsell, MD has been named a 2009-2010 Health and Aging Policy Fellow. The Program is a unique opportunity for professionals in health and aging to receive the experience and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans.

Dr. Counsell's fellowship will focus on the completion of a specific health policy project with a focus on policy related to improving care coordination in frail elders at both the state and national levels. His work will be informed by research and geriatrics programming at Indiana University, past work with the Indiana Medicaid Medical Advisory Cabinet, and his recent Packer Policy Fellowship in Australia.

"In putting together the application and learning more from current fellows over the past few months, I feel this is just the right next step as I explore opportunities to impact health policy toward improving healthcare for older adults," states Dr. Counsell.

SCAN Foundation Selects GRACE Care Management for Dissemination in California
July, 2009

The SCAN Foundation has selected Indiana University and IU Geriatrics as the recipient of funding for "Dissemination of GRACE Care Management to High Risk Seniors of a Managed Care Medical Group." The seniors are Medicare beneficiaries aged 70 or older who receive medical care from Healthcare Partners in California.

The project focuses on supporting promising program models for building a long-term care system to help seniors maintain their quality of life and remain independent, at home and in the community. The dissemination project is led by Principal Investigator Steve Counsell, M.D., and Co-investigator Kathy Frank, RN, DNS.

GRACE is a model of primary care for low-income seniors and their primary care physicians developed to improve the quality of geriatric care to optimize health and functional status, decrease excess healthcare use, and prevent long-term nursing home placement. The model was created by IU Geriatrics and was tested in community-based health centers in Indianapolis.