Happy fall to everyone! I know most of us are very happy to see the trees turning and the temperatures dropping. The AGEC and partners have started fall programs and classes and are very busy. This quarter I want to talk a little more in-depth about the AGEC’s clinical focus on the 4M’s framework of Age-Friendly Care...

Previous research shows that loneliness is detrimental to healthy aging. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it led to early calls for strict limitations to in-person social interactions (lockdowns and social distancing). During Spring 2021, Hendrix College and AGEC conducted a telephone survey of nearly 867 older Arkansans...

By Lorrie George-Paschal, PhD, OTR, ATP

and Emily Wish, OTD, OTR, PCBIS

Department of Occupational Therapy

University of Central Arkansas

According to the Arkansas State Plan for Traumatic Brain Injuries (UAMS, 2020), there were approximately 2,300 individuals living with a brain injury in Arkansas between 2013-2019. In the River Valley and Central Arkansas areas (including Conway, Cleburn, Johnson, Logan, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Van Buren, White, and Yell counties) there are 685 individuals registered with the TBI registry (UAMS, 2020). As of March 2022, it is estimated...

Weight loss is often identified during hospitalization when older adults are assessed. Up to 60% of hospitalized older adults are malnourished or at risk for malnutrition, and this is associated with threefold increased costs and co-morbidities such as pressure injuries, infections, and falls. Length of stay and mortality increase as a result... 

Caring for an elderly family member comes with great rewards and equally great complications. The complexities of caregiving may become difficult to manage and caregivers are especially susceptible to caregiver role strain. Caregiver role strain occurs when caregivers experience stress because of the increased responsibility...