Sept. 18, 2014 | About 160 geriatrics professionals and educators recently gathered at UAMS to learn what’s new in caring for older patients during the 15^th annual Geriatrics and Long-Term Care Update.

Held from Sept. 12-14 at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, conference speakers, presentations and expert panels covered a range of topics from gut microbiome and ethics in nutrition to pharmacogenomics and the treatment of depression. A one-day pre-conference meeting was held Sept. 11 on functional assessments for elderly patients.

After opening remarks and introductions Sept. 12 from Ann Riggs, M.D., a Reynolds Institute on Aging professor, Ronni Chernoff, Ph.D., director of the Arkansas Geriatric Education Center at UAMS, reviewed for the audience the latest cases and thinking regarding nutrition support for older adults, the ethics of feeding tube placement and the legalities concerned with the practice.

Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Reynolds Institute, addressed the topic of weight management in the elderly, including what’s been called “The Obesity Paradox.”

The Obesity Paradox refers to the relationship in older patients with heart failure between having a higher body mass index and a lower rate of mortality.

“Obesity is a known risk factor for metabolic syndrome and the development of cardiovascular disease,” Wei said. “However, once heart failure has developed, a higher Body Mass Index is protective, especially in cases where the patient is admitted to the hospital for heart failure or cardiovascular disease. This may be thought of as a kind of ‘delayed gratification.’ If you stay within the recommended range for your BMI and avoid the things you’re supposed to avoid, then when you get to 70 or 75, you can afford to put on some weight.”

Mohit Girotra, M.D., ,  chief fellow in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, presented research findings in regard to elderly patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile (CDIF) colitis who received transplants of processed fecal material from the digestive system of a healthy donor, a technique called Fecal Microbiota Transplantation.

The study in geriatric patients looked at 10 patients with a mean age of 72 who had the colitis for three to five years and had failed to improve with three or more antibiotic treatments.

“These were very sick patients,” Girotra said. “They responded remarkably fast to fecal microbiota transplant, experiencing prompt symptom resolution in one to four days. Diarrhea resolution was observed in 100 percent of the patients, and all patients remained negative for the CDIF toxin when tested three months later.”

Fourteen geriatrics research posters also were on display at the conference. About 25 of the attendees were from out of state, including New York, Connecticut, Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois and Texas.

“The continuing positive feedback we receive from attendees, including those at this year’s conference, has demonstrated to the institute and UAMS the tremendous value these updates have in communicating the latest findings and best practices in geriatrics,” Wei said. “They aren’t presenting abstract concepts. The updates are giving important information to professionals directly involved in geriatric care.”

In addition to the Reynolds Institute on Aging, the conference was sponsored the UAMS colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy and Nursing, the UAMS Center for Distance Health, the Arkansas Geriatric Education Center, the Arkansas Chapter of National Gerontological Nursing Association and the Arkansas Gerontological Society.