Dr. Murray Nixon and Carmen Johnstone-Chapman

Dr. Nixon has been a long time advocate for the older adult. He has always treated his patients with dignity, respect and compassion.  He is known for his excellent listening skills and his exceptional interpersonal relations and rapport with patients and family members.  He has shown this in the way he conducted himself in meetings, working groups and committees, always striving to better the cause for the older adult and keep team discussions/action plans patient focused.  He has largely used a strength based approach in his practice which was very effective. He would speak of  the value and strengths of the older adult, was mindful of their background and circumstances (and not just their disease), and would strive to find a way to improve patient care and continuity of care for our patients after they left the service as well.

Congratulations Dr. Nixon!

Our annual Student Award of Excellence was also presented that evening to Kimberly Monroe, who recently completed her  Masters in Health Administration at Dalhousie University:

During her studies, Kimberly worked towards increasing her knowledge of the geriatric population as it related to healthcare administration. She worked directly with St. Vincent’s Nursing Home for special projects including Management & Design and Change Management, and a Quality Review. She has also utilized her knowledge of the continuing care system to develop logic models for Adult Protection Services and to conduct an Information Systems Review of the Continuing Care system in Nova Scotia.

And GANS also said farewell to our past-President Nila Ipson, who retired from the board of GANS after 15 years service.  From all of us Nila, we thank you for all the hard work and dedication over the years!

Robin Latta, acting President, GANS and Nila Ipson, past-resident, retiring.

Founded in 1991 by Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, Geriatric Medicine Research (GMR) has pioneered an interdisciplinary approach to the study of aging, frailty and dementia that has allowed us to work with artists, philosophers, linguists, sociologists, applied mathematicians and data miners, just to name a few.

Innovative work being done by the GMR team here at Dalhousie University/Capital Health  includes tools and services to allow for a more responsive system of care for aging patients, as well as work into the effects of social vulnerability on health and mortality. We have also initiated a specialized clinic to help elderly patients understand the benefits and risks of treatments available to them.

Recent work has also begun to help better understand and provide for the needs of those who care for our expanding population of dementia patients, and we currently head up a cross-Canada network for knowledge translation in the field of dementia research.

GMR has a long history of research collaborations with groups as close as Ontario and as far flung as China.  We hope you will take a minute to look explore our site, the varied work we do, and the many groups who work with us.

Check out their blog here.

“New Directions for Aging”

40th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting
Canadian Association on Gerontology

…Welcoming the 4th Pan-American Congress of the International Association
of Gerontology and Geriatrics

October 21 – 23, 2011
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Registration now open!  http://www.cagacg.ca

Web: http://www.cagacg.ca
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/cag_acg
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cagacg

Marcia Stefanick talks about the medical differences between men and women and how the different chemical makeups of the different sexes can affect a person’s health and longevity. During the final quarter of the Stanford Mini Med School, some of the most timely and important topics in contemporary medicine and the biosciences are addressed. Stanford Mini Med School is a series arranged and directed by Stanford’s School of Medicine, and presented by the Stanford Continuing Studies program.

This area of the CAKEns website is available only to registered members. To renew your membership, simply click here and choose the appropriate subscription.  The Members Forum has a host of great ongoing conversations around the area of aging.  Join today and get involved!

Additionally, we have included here a current copy of the GANS bylaws with proposed changes that will be voted on at the AGM. The changes pertain to membership dues and their deadline (see section 1, parts IV and V)  and AGM quorum requirements (see section 4, part I, D) . Click on this link to see the document:  GANS BY-LAWS REVISED June 2011 (2)

For membership, as discussed in a previous email, GANS will, as of July 01, 2001, be reinstating an small membership fee. It is as follows:

groups/organizations: $50/year (allows two voting members at the AGM)
individuals: $30/year
student/senior/unwaged: $20 year

Membership can be purchased online here or by filling out the online registration form and mailing us your cheque.

Your membership is good for one year from the date that payment is received (or cheque clears) . Online payments are being handled via PayPal, one of the internet’s most secure companies. You do not need to have an existing PayPal account to use this option. GANS has chosen to use PayPal as it allows you to purchase membership with us without revealing your financial information to us (only PayPal will ever have that information.)

In other news, there is a new section to the GANS website  - the FORUM, however access to this section is restricted to paid members only. In this section we are creating a networking hub for you and your colleagues, where news, information, events and other resources can be shared among our membership.

We hope to see (or hear) many of you at the AGM. Click here for the details.

Some of the stories in the latest edition’s Health Section cover topics like:  

• assisted living best practices
• elder abuse conference
• ethics guidelines in research
• smartphone apps to help caregivers and seniors
• long-distance care giving

This is just a sample from one section of this great daily resource. You can subscribe to the GANS Ageing News Daily – look for the SUBSCRIBE button on the top right side of the page.

Date:June 22nd 2011

Place: 2651 Windsor St, Halifax NS in the Sobeys – Community Room (upstairs)

5:30 p.m. Evening reception with hors d’oeuvres
6:00 p.m. Welcome
6:05 p.m. Presentation of Awards
6:25 p.m. Annual General Meeting
7:30 p.m. Adjournment

During the AGM portion of the meeting, there will be some new sections unveiled on the GANS website that will be for members only. As you all know, for the past 18 months, GANS has offered free membership in an effort to build our base across the province and learn what our membership would like us to offer. Our recent member survey indicated that you wanted the opportunity to network, and  greater access to information and resources. At the AGM we will unveil the new members-only networking forum: an online space where news, information and resources can be shared among GANS members.

This is a private area which can be used to meet up with colleagues old and new, as well as check out the latest events in the field of aging, tap into resources not available on the public website, and share your knowledge and concerns with other. We hope that this section of the website will grow in the future to offer more opportunities in through such events as webinars, an experts  section and more.
The AGM will also offer a chance to hear about an exciting upcoming event, hosted by GANS, that will offer a hands-on opportunity for professional development.

Another important area of the recent members survey was the issue of membership dues. The board of GANS wants continue to offer its members the best services, resources and information we can. As a result, the decision has been made to reinstate membership fees beginning July 01, 2011. The cost will be very reasonable and be scaled for groups, individuals, student, seniors and the unwaged. You will be able to pay yearly membership dues online, or via traditional mailing options as well. We will unveil this section of the website and explain the fees at the AGM.

So come out on June 22nd and bring a friend!

Mark the date in your calendars and plan to attend. Along with light refreshments, and a brief session where we cover the business at hand we will also feature:

• presentation of our Student Award and Award of Recognition;
• a live demonstration of the new ‘members only’ space on the CAKEns website;
• an exciting announcement of a shift in our focus and direction, based our your input from our members survey.

The location and time will be announced in the coming week, so check back here for updates!

They have links and resources for: 

• Living a Healthy Life as a Senior
• Getting the Best Out of Retirement
• Finding Independent Living Services
• Finding Care Outside Your Home
• Finding End-of-Life Care (Palliative Care)
• Exploring Legal Matters Concerning Your Health

Click here to visit their site.