Harvard 39th Annual Review of Geriatric Medicine 2023

Foundations of Geriatric Medicine

• Principles of clinical care for older adults
• Comprehensive geriatric assessment
• Functional status and activities of daily living
• Frailty recognition and clinical implications
• Individualized care planning for older patients
• Balancing disease-specific guidelines with patient goals
• Multidisciplinary care models for aging populations

Frailty, Falls, Mobility and Functional Decline

• Frailty assessment and management strategies
• Falls risk evaluation and prevention
• Gait impairment and mobility limitation
• Functional decline in older adults
• Exercise, rehabilitation, and physical function preservation
• Home safety and environmental risk reduction
• Practical approaches to maintaining independence

Cognition, Dementia and Delirium

• Cognitive screening and clinical evaluation
• Dementia diagnosis and management
• Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia
• Delirium prevention, recognition, and treatment
• Distinguishing dementia, depression, and delirium
• Caregiver counseling and support strategies
• Safety, capacity, and decision-making in cognitive disorders

Psychiatric Illness and Behavioral Health in Older Adults

• Depression in late life
• Anxiety and sleep disorders in older adults
• Behavioral symptoms and agitation
• Substance use and medication-related psychiatric symptoms
• Psychopharmacology considerations in geriatric patients
• Non-pharmacologic behavioral interventions
• Integrating mental health into geriatric primary care

Medication Management and Polypharmacy

• Polypharmacy and medication safety
• Deprescribing strategies for older adults
• High-risk medications and adverse drug events
• Medication reconciliation across care settings
• Balancing benefits and harms of long-term therapies
• Medication adherence and patient-centered prescribing
• Practical medication review for complex older patients

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Care

• Hypertension management in older adults
• Heart failure and cardiovascular disease in aging patients
• Atrial fibrillation and anticoagulation considerations
• Diabetes management in older adults
• Lipid management and cardiovascular prevention
• Balancing treatment targets with frailty and life expectancy
• Shared decision-making for cardiometabolic disease care

Kidney Disease, Infections and Common Medical Problems

• Chronic kidney disease in older adults
• Acute illness and hospitalization risks
• Infections in geriatric patients
• Urinary symptoms and urinary tract infection considerations
• Anemia, dehydration, and electrolyte disorders
• Clinical presentation differences in older adults
• Practical management of common geriatric medical problems

Bone Health, Pain and Musculoskeletal Disorders

• Osteoporosis prevention and treatment
• Fracture risk assessment
• Chronic pain management in older adults
• Osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal function
• Safe use of analgesics and non-drug pain strategies
• Mobility preservation and rehabilitation planning
• Improving quality of life through functional pain care

Hospital Care and Transitions of Care

• Hospitalization risks for older adults
• Preventing functional decline during hospitalization
• Delirium prevention in hospital settings
• Discharge planning and medication reconciliation
• Care transitions between hospital, home, rehabilitation, and nursing homes
• Reducing readmissions and post-discharge complications
• Coordinating care among patients, families, and clinical teams

Nursing Home, Long-Term Care and Rehabilitation

• Care of older adults in nursing home settings
• Long-term care medical management
• Rehabilitation and recovery after acute illness
• Managing complex chronic illness in facility-based care
• Communication with families and care teams
• Quality and safety in long-term care environments
• Practical approaches to improving comfort, function, and dignity

Palliative Care, Serious Illness and End-of-Life Planning

• Goals-of-care conversations with older adults and families
• Palliative care principles in geriatric medicine
• Advanced care planning and decision support
• Symptom management in serious illness
• End-of-life care in hospital, home, and nursing home settings
• Balancing life-prolonging treatment with quality of life
• Supporting patients and caregivers through advanced illness

Geriatric Workshops and Complex Case Management

• Practical workshop-style approaches to complex geriatric problems
• Case-based clinical reasoning for older adults with multiple conditions
• Integrating medical, neurologic, and psychiatric illness management
• Care planning across office, hospital, and nursing home settings
• Managing competing priorities and patient-centered goals
• Improving communication with families and multidisciplinary teams
• Applying geriatric principles to real-world clinical practice

This course is best suited for geriatricians, internists, family physicians, primary care clinicians, hospitalists, neurologists, psychiatrists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, social workers, residents, fellows, and professionals involved in the care of older adults.

Topics include geriatric assessment, frailty, falls, mobility, functional decline, polypharmacy, deprescribing, dementia, delirium, depression, anxiety, sleep, pain, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, infections, hospital care, nursing home care, rehabilitation, palliative care, caregiver support, transitions of care, and end-of-life planning.

Yes. The course focuses strongly on common clinical problems encountered in primary care practice, while also covering hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation, and long-term care settings.

Yes. The course includes cognitive impairment, dementia, delirium, behavioral symptoms, caregiver support, safety issues, and practical care strategies for older adults with cognitive disorders.

Yes. This product is provided as recorded course access so you can review the material at your own pace.

No. CME credits and certificates are not included with this course package.

You can contact support at support@getmedicalcourses.com.