HGNI New Directions

Welcome to New Directions, a publication of the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI). This e-newsletter is designed to inform interested academic and practice leaders, faculty members, students, practitioners and others about the work of the HGNI and provide the latest news and information relevant to geriatric nursing.

As many of you know, the HGNI is preparing professional nurses to play leadership roles in improving the health of older adults. In partnership with the nation's nursing schools and a variety of health care organizations and systems, this dynamic, national initiative, supported through a $38 million investment from The John A. Hartford Foundation, works in five areas, including:

Shaping nursing practice to best meet the health care needs of older adults;

Enhancing professional education to ensure all nurses are prepared to treat older patients;

Promoting research needed to guide the care and promote the health of older people;

Developing leadership in academic and professional settings; and

Demonstrating nursing's commitment to enacting public policy that improves older Americans' health care.

We are proud to represent this critically needed effort, which is involving the nation's top nurses—including you—in making a difference in the health care of our nation's older adults. If you would like more contact information about, and links to all of the programs of the HGNI, please visit the HGNI's Web site at www.HGNI.org.

In this Issue

1. Nursing in the News
2. Tools, Resources & Opportunities
3. Announcements
4. Policy News
5. Link of the Month

1. Nursing in the News

American Journal of Nursing Article Highlighted in The New York Times
“Presentation of Illness in Older Adults,” written by Hartford Institute Fellow Elaine Amella, PhD, APRN, BC (Medical University of South Carolina), and part of the American Journal of Nursing gerontology series A New Look at the Old, was featured on January 25, 2005 in the “Science Times” section of The New York Times. The article, “Personal Health: Aging and Infirmity Are Twinned No Longer,” by Jane Brody, features Dr. Amella’s research into the critical indicators of underlying conditions, including changes in mental status, loss of function, decrease in appetite, dehydration, falls, pain, dizziness, and incontinence. Dr. Amella also describes the presentation of diseases common to older adults, including depression, infection, cardiac disease, gastrointestinal disorders, thyroid disease, and type-2 diabetes. The A New Look at the Old series is edited by CGNE scholar Nancy Stotts.

HGNI Partners Team Up to Focus on Students
Amy Berman of the Hartford Institute and Deirdre Thornlow of AACN co-authored “Your Bright Future in Geriatric Nursing,” which appeared in the January issue of Imprint: The Journal of the National Student Nurse Association (NSNA). The article focuses on the need for student nurses to acquire knowledge, skills, and competence to care for older adults. Highlights include career options, advanced practice education, gerontological certification, and resources for student nurses. The article, part of Imprint’s annual career guide, is posted at http://www.nsna.org/pubs/index.asp. Note: Ms. Berman and Ms. Thornlow have been invited to conduct a session on geriatric nursing at the NSNA Annual Convention on April 7, 2005 in Salt Lake City, where over 3,000 nursing students are expected to attend.

U.S. News & World Report Explores the Role of Nurses
The January 31, 2005 double issue of U.S. News & World Report is a special health report featuring nine articles on health care and aging. One article highlights the role of nurses in the U.S. health care system. The article, “Nurses Step to the Front,” discusses the expanded role that nurses today play in a variety of settings. “Many of the country’s more than two million nurses are taking on jobs that were once the purview of physicians, like administering chemotherapy and running their own primary-care practices. They are carving new niches in fields such as genetics and computerized patient records, where nurses were once hard to find, and bring philosophies oriented toward health promotion and problem prevention to geriatric care and case management.” The article goes on to describe nursing’s emphasis on health promotion and case management. For the full article, go to: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/050131/health/31nurses.htm.

2. Tools, Resources & Opportunities

Final Notice! First-ever NIA & JAHF-Sponsored Workshop for Nurse Researchers! Application deadline: March 4, 2005

Clinical Research: Trials and Interventions
Pre-Conference Workshop for Nurses
July 7-8, 2005
Aspen Wye River Conference Center
Queenstown, Maryland

This pre-conference workshop—sponsored by The John A. Hartford Foundation, American Academy of Nursing, and the National Institute on Aging—is a collaborative effort to enhance new nurse researchers’ capacity to design and conduct clinical research in aging with human participants. Nurse applicants must meet the specified eligibility criteria for the Summer Institute on Aging Research. If selected, your presence and participation are required for the pre-conference and Summer Institute (9 days). The pre-conference workshop will address problems of the RCT, daring designs, assessment of relative risk, duty to exclude, randomization, therapeutic misconception, and a mock IRB review.

Nurses registering for the pre-conference workshop must use the Summer Institute on Aging Research official application form. Check the box at the top of the application to be considered. Applications are due March 4, 2005 and are available on the web at www.geriatricnursing.org, or by contacting Patty Franklin at pfranklin@aannet.org.

BAGNC 2005 Scholar Award
The 2005 BAGNC Scholar Award application deadline was January 15, 2005. The Coordinating Center received the largest number of applications in the five-year history of the program. The Advisory & Selection Committee meets for the final review and selection of these applications on March 1st and will announce selected candidates the first week of April. The large number of applicants signifies a growing interest and capacity within geriatric nursing. Please note – as well as inform your colleagues - that the call for 2006 Applications will be announced and posted on our Web site in April 2005.

Gerontological Society of America 2005 Annual Meeting
The Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative showed a strong geriatric nursing presence at the 2004 GSA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, in November. To make nursing even more prominent next year, we encourage you to participate in GSA’s 2005 Annual Meeting, November 18-22 in New Orleans. The theme of the 2005 conference is “The Interdisciplinary Mandate.” The abstract submission deadline is March 15, 2005. For more information about the conference, go to: http://www.eshow2000.com/geron/about_the_meeting.cfm.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing/ Hartford Institute Award for Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing – Applications due May 6, 2005
The Hartford Institute, in collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), announces the annual competition for four awards for baccalaureate education in geriatric nursing. These include:

Geriatric Faculty Member Award

Infusing Geriatrics into the Nursing Curriculum Award

Stand-Alone Geriatric Course Award

Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing Award

Schools and programs of nursing that lead to a baccalaureate degree and offer a strong commitment in geriatric nursing are encouraged to apply. Reviewers will be looking for models of excellence, which may be showcased to inspire other schools to “gerontologize” their own programs. Programs may be large or small, new or well established. For the 2005 Award Application and to review abstracts from previous awardees, go to: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/BaccAward.htm.

Nursing Research Debuts Supplement with Report on Incontinence Research
Incontinence affects millions of Americans, but often goes untreated because it is embarrassing for the patient and poorly understood, even among health providers. A synthesis of research on the topic, “Shaping Future Directions for Incontinence Research,” appeared in the November 2004 Nursing Research journal, in the first-ever supplement to this highly respected journal. Published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, the supplement reports on an international invitational summit convened in October 2003 by the Center for Gerontological Nursing at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing as part of the John A. Hartford Foundation Geriatric Nursing Initiative Program. A symposium on the summit and the resulting supplement was held November 21, 2004 at the 57th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC. Copies of the supplement are available from Jan Marie Lundgren: lundg026@umn.edu.

Geriatric Medicine Leadership Training
The California Association of Long Term Care Medicine, in collaboration with the California Geriatric Education Center and the UCLA Academic Geriatric Resource Center, is presenting Geriatric Medicine Leadership Training, a two-day highly interactive and intensive conference on leadership, management and mentoring skills for physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses in geriatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, and long-term care services.

The conference is March 4-5, 2005 in Marina del Rey, CA. This conference is accredited for 14.0 contact hours of Continuing Education Units. For more information go to: http://www.geronet.med.ucla.edu/centers/cgec/GMLT_Brochure_2005.pdf or call 310.312.0531.

Geriatric Education Nursing Project: Showcasing Curriculum Grant Innovations
Each month, the AACN geriatric education Web page showcases a stand-alone course from a Hartford-award school's geriatric nursing program. The most recently featured course, from Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, AL), is taught by a clinical psychologist who specializes in ethno-geriatrics. Nursing faculty and administrators are encouraged to visit the site, learn more about the work of the Tuskegee University and other grantees, and use the articles as a resource to help replicate, develop, and/or expand upon the awardees' fine work. To learn more about these efforts, visit: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/ShowcasingInnovations/Tuskegee.htm.

“Try This” Series
Immunizations for the Older Adult
This latest issue in the Try This Assessment Series offers recommended immunization practices and protocols for the older adult population. To view this issue of the Try This Assessment Series go to http://www.hartfordign.org/publications/trythis/issue_21.pdf. For a comprehensive listing of Try This Assessment Series and Try This Dementia Series issues, go to: http://www.hartfordign.org/resources/education/tryThis.html.

3. Announcements

NYU Nursing Gala Event Celebrates Geriatric Nursing and Launches Mathy Mezey Chair in Geriatric Nursing
A crowd of 500 enthusiastic guests gathered for the first fund-raising gala of the NYU, Steinhardt School of Education, Division of Nursing on January 20, 2005, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The joyful event celebrated the essential role that nurses play in caring for older people, and to that end, the division honored two individuals and one foundation who have contributed immensely to advancing the field of geriatric nursing. Speaking from the podium of the packed Starlight Ballroom, NYU President John Sexton praised the significant accomplishments of NYU’s Division of Nursing, calling division head Terry Fulmer “the right person in the right place at the right time” to lead the division into the future.

The evening’s three honorees were: Mark Beers, MD, editor-in-chief of The Merck Manuals, whose medical research and advocacy have improved the use of medication in the elderly; The John A. Hartford Foundation, which has singularly transformed the field of geriatric nursing through its extensive financial support; and, Mathy Mezey, EdD, RN, FAAN, the Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing Education in NYU’s Division of Nursing and Director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, who has been the driving force in establishing the division’s eminence in geriatrics. The event raised $1.2 million in support of an endowed Chair in Geriatric Nursing named for Dr. Mezey.

Noting that half of the people who have ever lived to 80 are alive on the planet today, Dr. Fulmer stressed the critical role that nurses will continue to play in caring for this growing population, and she thanked the assembled guests for ensuring the ongoing advancement of the science and practice of nursing care for older adults. In New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proclaimed Thursday, January 20, as Celebrate Geriatric Nursing Day.

4. Policy News

HHS Proposes New Medicare E-Prescribing Rules Process Will Improve Quality, Accuracy
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt recently announced new proposed regulations that will support electronic prescriptions for Medicare when the prescription drug benefit takes effect in January 2006. For more information, go to: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/. Public comments will be accepted through April 5, 2005.

The New Medicare Law: A New Prescription Drug Benefit and Other Changes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued the final regulations implementing a new prescription drug benefit that will help people with Medicare pay for the drugs they need. This benefit begins in January 2006 and allows all Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for drug coverage through a prescription drug plan or Medicare health plan. The final regulations also provide new protections for retirees who currently receive drug coverage through their employers or unions, and they strengthen the Medicare Advantage program.

Information about the enhanced drug coverage with savings for beneficiaries, States, and employers can be found under Technical FactSheets at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/pdbma/general.asp. Additional information about the new regulations can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050121.html.

Medicare Proposes Payment Changes for Long-term Care Hospitals for Rate Year 2006
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule that would increase the Medicare payment rates for long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) by 3.1 percent for discharges on or after July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006. Medicare projects that aggregate payments to these hospitals under the LTCH Prospective Payment System (PPS) would increase to $2.96 billion during the 2006 LTCH rate year.

The proposed rule was published in the February 3, 2005 Federal Register. Comments will be accepted until March 29, and a final rule will be published later this spring. This rule proposes that the payment rates and policies be effective for discharges on or after July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006. For more information, go to: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1339.

New Jersey Law Requires Hospitals, Nursing Homes to Post Nurse Staffing Level Data
New Jersey hospitals and nursing homes will have to compile, post, and make available to the public and state health regulators information on staffing levels in their facilities, under legislation (A. 1727) signed by Acting Governor Richard J. Codey on January 24, 2005. The legislation requires New Jersey hospitals and nursing homes to tally the number of licensed or registered health care professionals who provide direct patient care on each shift. The facilities must also calculate the ratio of patients to registered professional nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse aides, and other licensed or registered health care professionals meeting state staffing requirements. For more information about this law, visit: http://www.afscme.org/una/.

5. Link of the Month:AHRQ Electronic Newsletter

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) produces an electronic newsletter for people who are interested in receiving announcements and information by e-mail about Agency activities. The newsletter is sent out on a regular basis, as news warrants. It describes the results of AHRQ-funded studies, announces the availability of new print and electronic resources, gives updates on the status of current funding opportunities, and much more.

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Write to Us

We are committed to creating a monthly publication that serves your needs and interests. New Directions, therefore, welcomes your feedback and encourages you to supply ideas, stories, resources, news, and other content for subsequent issues. To make a contribution, please contact Patty Franklin at Pfranklin@aannet.org, Deirdre Thornlow at dthornlo@aacn.nche.edu, or Elaine Gould at elaine.gould@nyu.edu.

Please Note

If you know of someone or a group of people who would like to receive this newsletter, please send an email to John Beilenson at jbeilenson@aboutscp.com, and we will subscribe them.

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