Introduction to Geriatrics

The Yale Program in Geriatrics endeavors to improve the quality of life and independence of older persons through a combination of research, interventions to improve function, clinical initiatives, and teaching activities. 

Yale Geriatrics faculty members have developed a number of interventions which have had a major impact on the care of older persons.  Fall prevention interventions have significantly decreased the rate of falling in community dwelling elderly; a fall prevention initiative in Connecticut has reduced the rate of falls and fall injuries throughout many cities and towns in the state. 

The Confusion Assessment Method, developed at Yale, has become the gold standard for making the diagnosis of delirium throughout the world.  Risk factors for delirium have been identified and an intervention significantly decreased the development of delirium in hospitalized elderly patients. 

Yale faculty have done seminal work on functional decline and disability in older adults.  A successful intervention has been demonstrated to prevent decline in older persons.  The Yale Center for Disability will become the focus of interventions designed to prevent functional decline. 

Yale faculty have studied factors which influence older persons’ medical decisions, and have demonstrated that expected outcome and treatment burden have a major impact on patient preferences.

Yale faculty have long been concerned about driving problems in older persons.  They have identified a number of risk factors for crashes and moving violations.  They have recently demonstrated that both educational programs and physical conditioning programs can improve the driving performance of older persons. 

The research efforts at Yale are focused in the Program on Aging.  This program is a combination of multidisciplinary research, support for the training of young investigators, and collaborative relationships with individuals and agencies in surrounding communities.  Over forty investigators from departments throughout Yale and more than fifty field, data management, and analytic staff are involved in more than forty research projects.

Training the general physician in the special care of the frail elderly is a high priority of the Section.  Twenty-five years ago, Yale was one of the first medical centers to mandate a required rotation in Geriatrics for all its resident physicians in Internal Medicine.  Yale faculty are now working with program directors in General Surgery, Urology, Ophthalmology, and other departments to enhance the training of their resident physicians in the care of older persons. 

Yale has three outstanding fellowship programs in Geriatric Medicine.  There is a one year clinical fellowship, a two year fellowship for clinical educators, and a three year fellowship for those wishing to pursue a career in geriatric investigation. 

Clinical initiatives at Yale include the Dorothy Adler Geriatric Assessment Center, a special Acute Care for the Elderly Unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital, a innovative co-treatment program in General Surgery at the West Haven VA Hospital, and a number of consultative programs at the VA Hospital.  The YNH Geriatric Services, P.C. cares for individuals in life care centers, assisted living facilities, and skilled nursing facilities. 

The combination of outstanding research achievements and infrastructure, innovative teaching programs for residents in Internal Medicine and other departments, and exceptional clinical initiatives make Yale one of the strongest programs in Geriatric Medicine.

Leo M. Cooney, M.D.
Section Chief, Geriatric Medicine

Mary Tinetti, MD, named MacArthur Foundation Fellow for 2009

See here for complete story.

 

Richard A. Marottoli, MD, MPH , Associate Professor of Medicine, has been selected as a 2009-2010 Health and Aging Policy Fellow for his project entitled: "The  Inter-section of Transportation and Health Policy": .

Information on the program is located here.

Dr. Marottoli's Bio here

Geriatric Grand Rounds: Tuesday, December 10th, 4:00 p.m. Adler Geriatric Assessment Center Library. Directions here

Title:"Management of Parkinson's Disease"

Speaker: Diana Richardson, MD, Instructor, VA Neurology Service.

Program on Aging Workshop - Wednesday, December 8, Harkeness 4th Floor Conference Room

Title: "Effectiveness of a geriatric curriculum in resident education"

Speaker: Chandrika Kumar, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine/Geriatrics

Research Aging Seminar- Wednesday, December 2nd, 12:00 noon; BCMM Rm 206

Title: "When Icebergs Collide: Emergency Care, Public Health, and Unmet Needs of Older Adults"

Speaker: Manish N. Shah, MD, MPH. Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine