Aging Summit: Knowledge for Care - Q&A Review Part 2

Last month, ImpactCE held our very first Aging Summit: Knowledge for Care, a three-day event with a wide variety of speakers, topics, and sessions. From diet changes as we age to social media to supporting caregivers, attendees gained a wide selection of insights from a team of trusted presenters, both new and familiar. 

If you missed the live event, many of the sessions will soon be offered as self-paced, distanced learning courses. As a sneak peek, we’ve compiled a list of questions from each session all from clinicians, just like you! This is the second part of the Q&A Review. You can read the first part here: Aging Summit: Knowledge for Care - Q&A Review Part 1

Like what you see? Keep your eye out for the upcoming self-paced courses, where each of these questions gets a much deeper dive. 

Examining the Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Mental Health Across the Lifespan - Keith Chan

Q1: “Does research take into account the correlation of pain with suicidal ideation and attempts vs the correlation with opiate use?”

A1: [I] think what a lot of times happens is folks are dealing with a lot of pain. We are seeing some relationship with how pain can lead to increased psychological distress. And psychological distress can become a stressor towards suicidality. So there is definitely a relationship, but one, I think, that is also mitigated by how we, as clinicians, and also those working in the field, can help to address some of those issues.

The Aging Brain and Resilience - Diane Bigler

Q2: Does childhood trauma affect the brain’s development? 

A2: Absolutely, yes, it can. If we look at things such as the ACES score, that is something that we are now understanding, and we have actually now, for a few decades, understood the connection between early adverse life experiences and how that shapes somebody physically, emotionally (and) cognitively. 

And certainly organically, in terms of that brain development, especially considering that a lot of our brain development really accelerates from birth until about age six, the environment of that child and their experience certainly is going to impact the way in which parts of their brain are developing. That child may have, either as a child or later in life, vulnerabilities to certain diseases, especially neurocognitive diseases, depression, ( and )other types of mental health conditions.

Suicide Considerations in Older Adults - Diane Bigler

Q3: Are older veterans and their possible PTSD contributing to the suicide rates?

A3: Quite possibly, yes, especially because of that unresolved trauma, regardless of what that source of the trauma is, whether that trauma was in childhood, early adulthood, or military service. Any of those sources of untreated, unresolved trauma, certainly can linger, and may be exacerbated as somebody gets older and their life is changing, their physicality is changing, their cognitive state may be changing. And so that may create some shifts in them not being able to manage that trauma experience as maybe they previously were able to.

Ethics and Eating: Closing the Circle of Life - Susan I Wranik

Q4: What do you think about appetite stimulants?

A4: They have their place. We discuss this sometimes, the pros and the cons. It depends upon what you're stimulating for. There's certain things, certain diagnoses, you don't want to use certain medications. I'll just say they may have a place. It depends upon the circumstances.

Protecting Older Adults: Ethical & Legal Considerations in the Identification & Reporting of Elder Abuse - Kathryn Krase

Q5: Is there a statute of limitations for elder abuse?

A5: No. If the victim is still alive, there is an obligation to make the report.

Suicide Considerations in Older Adults - Diane Bigler

Q6: How might current political threats to health care and social security affect suicidal thoughts in later stages of aging?

A6: People can certainly have anxiety about losing benefits, about coverage potentially changing, and so that is something that we can validate; we can hold that space with that older adult. We can recognize that they're experiencing some anticipatory distress over the possibility of them losing benefits or coverage. 

That may lead to an older adult feeling hopeless or feeling as though they're going to be a burden if they lose some of their benefits. They may think, “Who's going to pay for my care if I don't have benefits? Maybe it would be better if I'm just not here anymore.” 

Nutrition for Older Adults: Practices to Promote Healthy Aging - Navika Gangrade

Q7: How much influence does a dietician have on meals served in hospitals, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and schools?

A7: Every one of those places will have a dietitian. I have worked in schools before, and I've seen hospital food service. The tricky part here is how much say the dietitian has when balancing other things like cost or labor. If you're in schools or federally subsidized centers, like federal subsidies, you have to use the products they give. But a dietitian will create, especially in schools or long-term care centers, the meal plan that is offered. So, a dietitian is creating every meal you'll see in one of these big centers. It's just, you know, dependent on how that is interacting with some of these other factors.