HCOA.org - Huffington Center On Aging

The HCOA encouraged everyone to wear purple on June 15th in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. People worldwide did. If you missed it this, year, it's not too late to do so. You could also mark your calendar for June 15, 2010 to wear something purple showing that elder abuse is a global problem. The annual observation recognizes, honors and raises awareness of disabled adults and persons 65 and older who suffer in silence because of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Elder abuse is a public health threat and a human rights issue. It is also a very underreported crime: if you suspect that someone you know is being abused, please call 211 or Adult Protective Services at 1-800-252-5400. On just one aspect of elder abuse, the HCOA and the Investor Protection Trust have collaborated on teaching health professionals how to help prevent elder investment fraud and financial exploitation. For more information on this insidious problem, contact Dr. Robert Roush at rroush@bcm.edu or visit the IPT website at http://www.investorprotection.org.

The annual Spring Forum held May 28, 2009 at The Briar Club was another great community event. If you were there, you know how good it was: if you weren't, you really missed something special. We all left laughing, literally. The luncheon speaker was M.D. Anderson Chaplain Stephen Findley who had us in "stiches" with his "Laughter Yoga" presentation. You should go to one of his programs. Call (713) 792-6161 for information on him.

And call (713) 798-1604 for details on the next Women's Health Summit to be held October 28th. Co-chairs are mother and daughter, Joan Lyons and Linda Brown. With these two outstanding community leaders involved ,this year's program willbe another great event you won't want to miss.

On May 27, 1909, Delores DeFina was born in the Bronx, NY. This was almost to the day six years after her future husband, Bob Hope, was born in England. Today, Mrs. Hope celebrated her 100th birthday. What are the odds that a husband and wife would both become centenarians? To read about Bob Hope's remarkable life and that of his beautiful wife, click here. Their remarkable long lives spent mostly together (Bob died in 2003.) give us all hope for our futures. Happy Birthday Mrs. Hope!

There are three ties between HCOA and Claudia Feldman's piece, "The Next Best Thing," in the Houston Chronicle of April 20, 2009. First, the article is about a nonagenarian: one of "our people." He is 95-year-old Bud Schiffman. To read about this remarkable cyclist, click here.

Congratulations to Laura Morrison, MD, assistant professor of medicine-geriatrics, for being selected as the Baylor winner of the Association of American Medical College's Humanism in Medicine Award by the medical students and has been submitted as a candidate for the National Award, which will be presented this fall. "This AAMC award annually honors a medical school faculty physician who exemplifies the qualities of a caring and compassionate mentor in the teaching and advising of medical students. The nominee must also possess the desirable personal qualities necessary to the practice of patient-centered medicine by teaching ethics, empathy, and service by example. The goal of the award is to emphasize, reinforce, and enhance the importance of humanistic qualities among medical school students and faculty. The presence of a caring, compassionate, and collaborative learning environment serves as positive reinforcement to prospective physicians of the desirability of such qualities in the doctor-patient relationship," said Baylor president William T. Butler, MD, in his weekly e-letter to the faculty and students on Friday, 19 June, 2009. The Huffington Center on Aging is proud of Dr. Morrison's selection, as she exemplifies to the students what a geriatrician does to improve the lives of older people. Click here, then scroll down to see Dr. Morrision's photo and read more about her.

Congratulations are in order for Aimee Garcia, MD, director of our Geriatrics Fellowship Program, on her promotion to Associate Professor in the Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine. Dr. Garcia joins other tenured members of an august geriatrics faculty who are making a difference in the quality of lives of older people. They conduct clinical research and apply that new knowledge at the bedside and teach it to other health professionals. At the recent American Geriatrics Society, most of the clinical faculty of the HCOA made presentations to advance the cause of more geriatric medicine for our rapidly aging society.

Kudos were previously made to Dr. Scott Pletcher for his being one of only four Baylor researchers to receive the coveted DeBakey Excellence in Research Award this year. The other two HCOA "stars" are Drs. Nick Timchenko and Adam Antebi who won in previous years. Dr. Pletcher will take his HCOA experience to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor this July and Dr. Antebi assumes an important leadership position with the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. Both will be missed, but their elegant researches remain a legacy to other HCOA gerontologists who worked with them and who come after them.

On December 10th, 2008, two decades of geriatrics in Houston were celebrated. What began in 1988 with a vision and philanthropists who brought that vision to fruition is now a world renown center for the study of aging, the training of geriatricians and other health care professionals to care for older people, and the education of the general populace how to have a good old age.

On a rare snowy night for Houstonians, Dr. Gretchen Darlington welcomed over 400 of them as they enjoyed the exquisitely beautiful Crystal Gala Ball at the River Oaks Country Club. The gala co-chairs were Suzanne McCrary, Sylvia Sullivan, and Marianne Hoffer and their husbands. These wonderful supporters led an effort aided by their fellow HCOA Development Board members and HCOA staff that resulted in almost $400,000 raised to support the training of geriatrics fellows at Baylor College of Medicine. You can see selected photos of one of the most beautiful events ever held in Houston and the people fortunate to have been there by clicking on http://www.khou.com/slideshows_ archive/. Click on "Huffington Ball," then, the word "Next" at the top of the page to see the photos numbered 1-59.

All in all, the evening was an upbeat one as we remembered the good times had and the many accomplishments made during Roy's tenure. He leaves a legacy of leadership, friendship, and stewardship for the next director to emulate. We wish him, Jane, and Roy's son, Alex, the very best in this new phase of their lives. Older people worldwide will be the beneficiaries of what Roy Smith has done and will do to advance our understanding of the mysteries of the aging process.

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This year's Spring Forum, the first of the three main events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the HCOA, was enjoyed by over 350 people at the sell-out event on April 22nd at the River Oaks Country Club. This year's program co-chaired by Lavonne Cox and Maria Bush included presentations by noted Houston surgeon/TV personality Dr. Red Duke on stress management; by Ms. Denise Landers' talk on optimizing time in one's routine; and by Dr. Esther Sternberg of the NIH in Washington on exciting research results on the biology of stress and the implications for our emotions and health. You'll have to ask those there about the fantastic style show and wonderful lunch in the beautiful surroundings of Houston's storied River Oaks Country Club.

HCOA is committed to improving the quality of life for older people by training scientists and physicians to become leaders in the field of gerontology and geriatrics. As a leader in medical education for clinicians, the Center is actively involved in training Baylor medical student, residents, and geriatric fellows. For health care professionals, the Center provides educational opportunities for all disciplines. The Center also provides valuable educational programs for the community at large.