Who We Are

As a regional affiliate of the American Geriatrics Society, the organization provides leadership for professionals, policy makers and the public in the area served. The organization aids in the efforts of the American Geriatrics Society in developing, implementing and advocating programs in patient care, research, professional education, public policy and public information for the Pennsylvania and region.

The strategic goals of the PAGS-WD are to:

1. Promote geriatric education for all geriatric healthcare professionals.

2. Provide an active forum and opportunity for networking and engagement with other professionals who share an interest in improving care for the older adults

3. Advocate for programs and public policy, which will improve the
health and well being of older adults.

4. Encourage students and residents to pursue a career in geriatrics.

The 30^th Annual Clinical Update in Geriatric Medicine Conference, will take place on March 31 through April 1, 2022. After careful consideration by the Course Directors and Board of Directors and reviewing the positive responses from the inaugural virtual conference in April, the decision was made to offer a virtual experience for 2022.  We are excited to build on the success of the last conference by adding enhancements to provide an exceptional experience for attendees.

Course directors Shuja Hassan, MD, Neil Resnick, MD, and Lyn Weinberg, MD, along with the Planning Committee members, have started initial planning. The team is committed to creating a superb program which delivers practical, as well as an evidence-based approach and identify speakers  whose expertise is nationally recognized and their ability to share their knowledge in a practical, succinct, and entertaining way to facilitate its easy incorporation into a practice.

This well-respected, American Geriatrics Society (AGS) award-winning course is jointly provided by the Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society - Western Division (PAGS-WD), UPMC/University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging, and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences.

Conference credits include AMA PRA Category 1 credits^TM, AAFP, Nursing, Risk and ACPE credits.  Members of the PAGS-WD receive a discount when registering.

Visit https://dom.pitt.edu/ugm/ periodically for details on the course.

Jason Karlawish, MD

Thank you 

to the following

for support of the program.

Read below or in the latest Newsletter

The Society has compiled list or resources which may be helpful for organizations and businesses that serve older adults. Check the site periodically as we will continue to update this list as new information becomes available. Contact Nadine Popovich at npopovich@acms.org if you have a resource that we can add to the list. 

ADDITIONAL LINKS AND RESOURCES

Respecting Choices

https://respectingchoices.org/

Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)

https://www.capc.org/toolkits/covid-19-response-resources/

Vital Talk

Senior's Guide to Exercise and Fitness

https://nanha.org/2020/09/16/seniors-guide-to-exercise-and-fitness/

Home Centered Care Institute

https://www.hccinstitute.org/

POLST COVID-19

https://polst.org/covid/

OHSU Center for Ethics in Healthcare

https://vimeo.com/399981062

What COVID-19 Exposed in Long-Term Care Documentary by Jewish Healthcare Foundation

https://youtu.be/l_rn54K1gKI 

• Provides  links to information for Allegheny County residents, information for specific groups including businesses and organizations, and updates.
• Stay up-to-date by signing up for Allegheny Alerts  and subscribing to COVID-19. 

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING 

coVID-19 RESOURCES FOR OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS 

United Way's PA 2-1-1 Southwest has established a formal arrangement to assist the Allegheny County Health Department. 2-1-1 resource navigators can provide general information about health questions related to the virus, referring those who need further evaluation to the Health Department;  connect individuals and families with services to meet emergency basic needs, like food, rent and utility payments; and provide the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations from local authorities. Those seeking help should dial 2-1-1, text their zip code to 898-211, or visit PA211.org

United Way’s PA 2-1-1 Southwest is a trusted source for reliable information. To receive text messages with the most up-to-date information and resources, sign up at  pa211sw.org/text-alerts.

GoodRX Iis offering Coronavirus (COVID-19) Screening and Triage at no charge.

Allegheny County Medical Society

COVID-19 RESOURCES 

Telehealth Payment Toolkit

CDC - THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION 

RESOURCES FOR CAREGIVERS

Self-care for providers - These apps are providing free subscriptions to providers (headspace requires an individual NPI). The apps focus on mediation, and other relaxation techniques.

Headspace is offering free subscriptions to all US healthcare workers in 2020, given the circumstances. This is a mindfulness meditation app that comes highly recommended, though not usually inexpensive. To redeem a free subscription, one must provide his/her state and NPI, name, and email address.

Ten Percent Happier is another program/app offering free access for health care workers, with a PROMO Code of HEALTHCARE (in ALL CAPS). One needs to download the app onto a mobile device—a desktop computer will not work—and must log into the app using the same method used to redeem access on the website. The company asks that no one create more than one account and cautions that the website has been overwhelmed, thus necessitating multiple attempts to redeem access.