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Blog and Commentary

Towards a self-reported assessment of physical frailty: updates and challenges

August 23, 2023
Brian Buta 2020
Brian Buta, MHS

Project Administrator, Geriatric Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Faculty Profile

Physical frailty is commonly defined by the Physical Frailty Phenotype (Fried et al, 2001), which uses a combination of self-report and objective measures. Physical frailty is a powerful predictor of health outcomes, but it is rarely used outside of research settings because of challenges with implementation. In a busy clinical setting, performing repeated grip strength and timed walking tests is rarely feasible. Self-report questionnaires, in contrast, are easily administered both in the office and even at home for telemedicine visits. Continue Reading

 

Taking LGBTQ+ Health to Heart: An Interview with Dr. Carl Streed, Jr., on LGBTQ+ Older Adults, Heart Health & Frailty

June 28, 2023
Anthony L. Teano, MLA
Anthony L. Teano, MLA

Communications Specialist
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

For “Pride Month,” we wanted to focus on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ older adults’ heart health as a possible risk consideration for frailty. There is increasing recognition of a multitude of health inequities that exist across many areas of wellness for LGBTQ+ people throughout the lifespan. In addition to age-related changes in cardiovascular risk, older LGBTQ+ adults are at high risk for poor heart health outcomes related to LGBTQ+ specific life stressors and psychosocial, behavioral, and physiologic factors. Further considerations include increased prevalence of diabetes, tobacco abuse, and the use of hormonal therapies in transgender individuals. Stemming from their lived experiences, or perceived and actual discrimination from present day physicians, many LGBTQ+ older adults mistrust health care providers; consequently, delaying doctor visits may lead to an LGBTQ+ patient being diagnosed when they present with overt clinical disease rather than an early disease stage, where institution of preventative measures may impact patient care. Continue Reading

 

Frailty Science Presentations at ICFSR 2023

February 28, 2023
Brian Buta 2020
Brian Buta, MHS

Project Administrator, Geriatric Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Faculty Profile

The 2023 International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research is coming up soon! This annual conference, which showcases state-of-the-art research on frailty and sarcopenia, will be held in Toulouse, France from March 22nd-24th.  There is also a virtual attendance option. Continue Reading

 

#FrailtyFighter 2.0: International Edition--Especially for the ICFSR Congress 2023

February 24, 2023
Anthony L. Teano, MLA
Anthony L. Teano, MLA

Communications Specialist
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

We are bringing back our celebrated #FrailtyFighter social media campaign on Twitter!  And we are proud to partner with the International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research (ICFSR) Congress to highlight global researchers in this space leading up to the ICFSR 2023 Conference in Toulouse, France, from March 22-24 as a key part of this effort. Continue Reading

 

New supplemental award examines mitochondrial function and frailty development among people with and without HIV

November 02, 2022
The Frailty Science Team
The Frailty Science Team
The Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC), a long-running NIH funded research program focused on frailty research, was recently awarded a supplemental grant to investigate the intersecting biological pathways that drive early onset of physical frailty in a subset of individuals living with and without HIV through the study of mitochondrial decline. Continue Reading

 

What Can Digital Health do for Geriatric Oncology? – advancing equity and meaningful use

September 22, 2022
Nabiel Mir, MD
Nabiel Mir, MD

Geriatric Oncology Fellow

University of Chicago Medicine

Frailty in older adults with cancer is associated with poor outcomes such as mortality (Augustin et al., 2016; Soubeyran et al., 2012), functional decline (Hoppe et al., 2013) and toxicity from chemotherapy (Hurria et al., 2011). Major organizations like the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommend using a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to identify vulnerabilities such as functional impairment, comorbidities, and cognition as well as institute CGA-driven interventions like exercise or nutritional rehabilitation (Mohile et al., 2018) that have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of high-grade toxicity without compromising survival in vulnerable cohorts with geriatric impairments (Mohile et al., 2020). Continue Reading

 

Frailty in LGBTQ+ Adults: notes from a conversation with Dr. Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen

June 27, 2022
Anthony L. Teano, MLA
Anthony L. Teano, MLA

Communications Specialist
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Recently, I asked Dr. Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work and Director of the Goldsen Institute, to share her thoughts about frailty in older LGBTQ+ adults. Dr. Fredriksen-Goldsen is a pioneer in research on LGBTQ+ aging.  She led the nation’s first federally-funded longitudinal study of the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people over the age of 50, “Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study.” When I brought up the topic of frailty-specific insights in this population, Dr. Fredriksen-Goldsen noted that frailty was a significant problem for LGBTQ+ older adults:  Continue Reading  

 

The Pulmonary System, Frailty & COVID-19: Q&A's with Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos

April 25, 2022
Anthony L. Teano, MLA
Anthony L. Teano, MLA

Communications Specialist
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Exciting news! Our website has a new clinical section on Pulmonary Function and Frailty. As the field of Frailty Science is relatively young, research in specific specialties may be scarce—and this is true of the associations between the respiratory system and frailty. Consequently, we asked one of Johns Hopkins’ top experts in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine to review literature in this space, and compose this new section; we are grateful to Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, an Assistant Professor in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, for taking up this challenge. Continue Reading

 

Advances in wound care: valsartan nanofilament hydrogel promotes wound healing in a diabetic animal model

February 25, 2022
Lolita Nidadavolu, MD, PhD
Lolita Nidadavolu, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Beyond the substantial financial costs associated with chronic wounds (estimated to be between $28-96 billion dollars in Medicare costs in 2018; Nussbaum et al., 2018), the subsequent chronic inflammation and disability arising from such wounds are significant exacerbating factors that limit health-span in older adults. A recent study from a multidisciplinary wound center demonstrated that frailty prevalence, using the deficit accumulation model, was approximately 75% among their patients and wound healing rate was slower in frail individuals (Espaulella-Ferrer et al., 2021). Continue Reading

 

New AI/Technology & Aging Research Collaboratory: Pilot Proposals Due Feb. 18

February 01, 2022
Jeremy Walston, MD
Jeremy Walston, MD

Raymond and Anna Lublin Professor of Geriatric Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center
Faculty Profile

The recently funded Johns Hopkins Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory for Aging Research (JH AITC; website) seeks to improve the health and well-being of older adults through novel uses of artificial intelligence and new technologies.  Combatting frailty and its outcomes are important aims of this Collaboratory.  Continue Reading