With record attendance levels and our most diverse and stimulating program yet, this year’s AGS Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas solidified the Society’s reputation as the premier scientific meeting for research in aging. Cutting-edge presentations and educational symposia drew more than 2,900 to Las Vegas in a four-day span that also marked the launch of a number of exciting new AGS and Foundation for Health in Aging products aimed at helping providers and caregivers improve care for older adults.

In this space last month I discussed Doorway Thoughts: Cross-Cultural Health Care for Older Adults, which examines the influence of heritage and culture on personal interactions in a health care setting. It was but one of a stable of new products on display in the new AGS Marketplace section of the vast Annual Meeting exhibit hall.

Eldercare at Home
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has released the 2nd edition of Eldercare at Home, a step-by-step resource for families taking care of an older person at home. Written by more than 45 health care professionals with extensive experience in geriatric and long-term care, Eldercare at Home combines clear, practical instructions and a problem-solving approach to common caregiving issues.

FHA is releasing this updated, illustrated resource, a must-have for long-term care providers, in several formats. The plain text version (without illustrations) is available free of charge online at www.healthinaging.org. There, caregivers can also find information on purchasing the illustrated workbook. For institutions, the FHA is also releasing the Eldercare at Home Presentation Package complete with illustrated slide presentations in PowerPoint on all 27 chapters as well as companion handouts that are fully illustrated. It is a perfect resource for training family and informal caregivers as well as home health aides and volunteers.

AGS Practice Management Toolkit
With an eye toward the burgeoning aging population and the stagnant number of health care providers trained to attend to its needs, the AGS recently unveiled the Practice Management Toolkit, an AGS members-only online resource for clinicians interested in starting a geriatrics practice or streamlining an existing one. It was released in conjunction with a plenary session on Geriatrics Practice: The Art of Survival that was offered at the Annual Meeting and followed by a workshop on the same topic. The Toolkit is one element of a new, free online continuing medical education (CME) program based on the session.

An expert panel convened by the Practice Management Advisory Group produced a detailed breakdown of the facets of initiating and sustaining a practice devoted to geriatrics, providing information for navigating the minutiae of a Medicare-dependent caseload. Sections include General Principles, Practice Models and Types, Contracting your Services, Strategic Planning and Market Analysis, and Coding and Billing. Visit www. americangeriatrics.org for more information.

Geriatrics at Your Fingertips for PDAs
Providing high-quality medical care for older persons requires a special set of knowledge skills, clinical skills, and attitudes. Many resources contain current, accurate information on evaluation and management of the older patient; however, few are suitable for use in the examining room, on nursing home or hospital rounds, or when the clinician is on call outside the office.

To address this need, Geriatrics at Your Fingertips (GAYF) is now available for free download to PDAs and Pocket PCs. Packed with information on prescribing, clinical guidelines and other emerging facets of care, GAYF integrates the recommendations of recent clinical guidelines and employs care strategies from organizations such as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association.

The goal of GAYF is to reduce to a minimum the amount of time that a practicing clinician must spend searching for specific information that is needed immediately to make patient care. Visit www.geriatricsatyourfingertips. org/pda.asp to download GAYF to your Pocket PC or PDA.

As you can see, AGS continues to respond to and anticipate the needs of geriatrics care providers, and we will continue to do so in the weeks, months, and years ahead. It is our goal to enhance the care of older adults by aiding clinicians in practice and by consequently bolstering the efficacy of care in long-term and other settings.

Linda Hiddeman Barondess
Executive Vice President