06-19-2024 Primetime - Flipbook - Page 12
12 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 19, 2024
EDUCATION
The importance
of gerontology
research
Fast-growing demographic
in need of more
trained professionals
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
Y
ou may not know Dr. Diane Martin, by name, but in the world of geriatrics in Maryland, she is instrumental in educating those who care for this
quickly expanding population. She is the Director of GGEAR, the Geriatrics
and Gerontology Education and Research Program, at the University of Maryland,
Baltimore (UMB) in the interdisciplinary graduate school and the program director for the aging and applied thanatology certificate. Thanatology is the study of
death, dying, and bereavement, according to the Association for Death Education
and Counseling.
“I am always looking to provide knowledge and education on subjects that people
don’t always think about or anticipate,” Martin
says. “Working with and funding educational
programs at the three Area Health Education
Centers,
(AHECs)—Central
Maryland
(CMAHEC), Eastern Shore (ESAHEC), AHEC
West (Frederick to Garrett), I can expose them
to important information that they will probably
need in the future.”
As an example, recent courses included:
• Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in Older
Adults, a growing problem.
• Making Peace with End of Life, and how
unprepared we are for death and dying.
• Polypharmacy, including the need to
deprescribe.
• Important Role of Autonomy, Supported
Decision Making & Guardianship.
Who can attend? Professional and community health care workers, social workers,
case managers and care givers. And it’s not
just professionals, lay people can also learn
important information.
Given the combined numbers for the
remaining members of the Greatest Generation
(1901-1927), the Silent Generation (19281945), plus the Baby Boomers (1946-1964),
they are the fastest growing demographic
segment in our country, and we are woefully
unprepared. We lack sufficient geriatricians
and gerontologists, and many of those we
do have are retiring without replacements.
Martin, in conjunction with different groups
and organizations throughout the state and
the six professional graduate schools of UMB
– Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing
And Social Work – is doing her best to prepare us for the future with the programs she
produces.
“We have to figure out ways to provide
care to the expected 90 million individuals by
2030 when we don’t have sufficiently trained
personnel,” says Martin. “We start with ‘what
matters,’ known as the four Ms. It streamlines
What matters to you (the first M) most often is
quality of life. Then there is medication, and
mobility. Using this, maybe we can streamline
care and become more consistent.”
The results of a study on the four Ms were
positive. “Asking what matters from the outset
of care planning improves both psychological and physiological health statuses. Using
screening protocols such as the Beers’ criteria
inhibits overprescribing. Mentation strategies
aid in prevention and treatment. Fall risk and
physical function assessment with early goals
and safe environments allow for safe mobility,”
according to the National Library of Medicine.
This is more than a job for Martin; it’s her
passion, something she’s been committed to
supporting throughout her career. Her focus is
quality-of-later-life initiatives, including personcentered care and aging in place. It explains
the comprehensive programs she develops
and produces.
AHECs train Certified Nursing Assistants
(CNAs), Community Health Workers (CHWs)
and Peer Recovery Specialists (PRSs), professions desperately needed due to the number
of aging Marylanders and the lack of sufficient medical personnel. Graduates of these
programs often end up working in areas designated as Primary Care Health Profession
Shortage Area.
Martin has expanded geographically and
financially accessible education programs in
cooperation with the Maryland AHECs and
the Johns Hopkins Workforce Enhancement
Program (GWEP) to professionals and paraprofessionals in the senior service and care
industry, as well as older adults and their
families.
And there’s more. Martin offers professional
conferences, usually for licensed practitioners,
students, caregivers and CNAs. There are also
GAIT programs – Geriatric Assessment interprofessional teams – integrating the graduate
schools mentioned above to produce teambased care so a care plan can be created.
Generally, the schools of nursing, social work,
and medicine are involved.
One upcoming program will partner primary care physicians and geriatric patients
to demonstrate to incoming students at the
graduate schools what interactions need to
take place. Another program Martin is working
on is to think through what will happen with
disabled children when their parents die, looking at the difficulties and options so they can
plan for the future.
Martin is committed to improving the lot
of older adults in Maryland. You may not see
her name on the program or be aware that
something you attend or learn from was originally her brainchild. Like the Wizard of Oz, she
remains behind the curtain. I can promise you,
though, that you will be the beneficiary of her
contributions.
Dr. Martin invites readers
to learn more about programs
and upcoming events. Visit
www.umaryland.edu/gerontology
You can sign up there
for notifications.
