Geriatrics Presentations
“Anti-Aging” Remedies
Joe Schwarcz is a professor of chemistry at ƻԺ and the Director of the ƻԺ Office for Science and Society. He is also an author, radio show host and a columnist for the Montreal Gazette.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss historical attempts to retard aging
- Explore supplements that claim to retard aging
- Investigate the effect of time restricted diets on aging
Deprescribing/Optimal Prescribing in the Elderly
Louise Mallet is currently a full Professor of Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal. She is also a clinical pharmacist with the interdisciplinary team in geriatrics in the emergency room at ƻԺ Health Center. Dr. Mallet is the co-editor of a number of textbook in geriatrics and is the author of numerous articles on topics related to the care of elderly patient both in English and in French.
Learning Objectives:
- Know the definition of deprescribing
- Using a case, identify the medications which need to be deprescribed in older adults
- Apply deprescribing guidelines in practice
Prevention of Falls for the Primary Care Physician
Natalie Levtova completed her Master's in Physiotherapy at the University of Ottawa in 2019. She worked for 2 years at the ƻԺ Health Center, including a yearlong assignment at the MUHC Geriatric Day Hospital. Natalie now works as a physiotherapist in the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital's neurological rehabilitation program, with special interests in acquired brain injury, aging, and sensorimotor integration in postural control. She is the recipient of the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation's 2023 Salary Award for clinicians, and will be a clinician advisor to ƻԺ Master's students completing their thesis at the JRH this summer. Natalie is also the physiotherapist at Chez Doris' medical clinic in Downtown Montreal, offering services to unhoused women and women in precarious socioeconomic situations.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the importance of geriatric gait assessment in identifying falls risk factors
- Understand the application and interpretation of common objective measures used in gait and balance assessment as part of a comprehensive functional evaluation
- Familiarize themselves with intervention plans for modifiable falls risk factors
- Familiarize themselves with types community resources available for falls prevention, using the example of community resources in the Greater Montreal Area
Approach to Falls for the Primary Care Physician
Prof. Gustavo Duque MD, Ph.D., FRACP, FGSA, is a geriatrician and a clinical and biomedical researcher with a particular interest in the mechanisms and treatment of osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and frailty in older persons. His initial training included Internal Medicine at Javeriana University (Colombia) and Geriatric Medicine, which he completed at ƻԺ in Montreal (Canada). Subsequently, he obtained his Ph.D. at ƻԺ in 2003 with a thesis entitled 'Molecular Changes of the Aging Osteoblast' under the supervision of Dr. Richard Kremer. Prof. Duque's primary research interests include elucidating the mechanisms and potential new treatments for age-related bone loss, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, osteosarcopenia, and frailty. He is also looking at the effect of vitamin D, exercise, and proteins on bone and muscle mass. He is the Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Director of the Center for Research Excellence for Sustainable Health for Seniors at ƻԺ, and investigator at the ƻԺ Health Centre Research Institute. He is the author of more than 280 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters and has edited five books in the aging and musculoskeletal fields (two on osteosarcopenia).
Learning Objectives:
- Assess fall risk in the community
- Implement fall prevention strategies in high-risk community-dwelling older persons
- Identify those patients that require further assessment at specialized services
Vascular Dementia
Dr. Elise Levinoff is a staff Geriatrician/Internist in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the Jewish General Hospital, and an Associate Professor at ƻԺ in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Levinoff received her medical degree at the University of Ottawa, and then completed her residency in Internal Medicine at ƻԺ. Following this, she completed a two year fellowship in Geriatric medicine at ƻԺ, and a Fellowship in Cognitive Disorders at the University of Montreal. Prior to her medical studies, Dr. Levinoff received an MSc. In the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at ƻԺ, where she studied cognitive deficits in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, Dr. Levinoff holds the position of the Site Director at the JGH for Core Internal Medicine Residency Program at ƻԺ.
Learning Objectives:
- Know the basic risk factors, epidemiology and diagnostic criteria of dementia, and specifically, vascular cognitive impairment (VCI)
- Know how to manage complications in patients with VCI
- Know about resources that exist in the community for assisting caregivers of patients with dementia
Competency Evaluation for the Family Physician and Changes in the Quebec Curatorship Laws
Dr. Catherine Ferrier is a family physician and holds a Certificate of Special Competence in Care of the Elderly from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She works in the Division of Geriatric Medicine of the ƻԺ Health Centre, where her focus is on cognitive disorders and assessment of decision-making capacity. She is Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at ƻԺ.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the terms and concepts related to decision-making capacity and incapacity
- Perform a straightforward decision-making capacity assessment
- Understand and work within the framework of Bill 18, the Law to better protect vulnerable persons