Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine

An article on the benefits of vigorous exercise, especially for women, quotes Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. “Women are more likely to be frail as they age — a condition of greater susceptibility to illnesses, falls, and disability,” said Seldeen. “Boosting muscle function and quality with exercise is the best way to stave off frailty.”

Bruce R. Troen, MD, director of UB’s Center for Successful Aging, talks about a five-year, $750,000 National Institute on Aging grant the center received. “It’s not about the years in your life, but it’s really the life in your years,” said Troen, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

An article in the Buffalo News reporting that older veterans are showing how fitness intensity boosts health interviews Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine, and Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine, chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and director of UB’s Center for Successful Aging. Stars and Stripes and Military.com also carried the story.

The UB Center for Successful Aging has received a $1.5 million grant. “We’re looking at an environment that really incentivizes innovation in a way that helps older adults — and when we help older adults, we almost always help the entire community,” said Bruce R. Troen, MD, center director, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

A story about the closing of the geriatric clinic at DeGraff Memorial Hospital quotes Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine, who helped oversee the clinic. “We have a dire need for capable and qualified clinicians to take care of older adults,” he said.

A story about $2.4 million in funding for studies at Buffalo’s VA Medical Center reports Jennifer K. Lang, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, will receive $1.4 million to study heart failure and myocardial infarction; and Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine, will receive $200,000 to study the impact of high-intensity interval training on older adults.

An article about the secrets to aging gracefully looks at the UB Center for Successful Aging and interviews Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine; Nikhil Satchidanand, PhD, an exercise physiologist and assistant professor of medicine; and Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine.

A Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ animal study may be one of the first to examine how low levels of vitamin D affect physical performance over the long term. Senior author on the study is Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. First author is Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine, who said, “The take-home message of this study is that while having low serum vitamin D for a month or even a year or two may not matter for a person, yet over several decades it may have clinical ramifications.”

While some issues are part of the normal aging process, geriatric syndromes aren’t, according to Anjeet K. Saini, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. “When we get older, we’re at greater risk for disability that interfere with activities of daily living,” she said. “In geriatrics, activities of daily living are the core principles we need to survive. Once ADLs are decreased, we have more disabilities.”

An article detailing a study that shows that exercise can slow the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia quotes Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and division chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine. Troen suggested that while the mechanism is unclear, exercise might help keep blood flowing to areas of the brain restricted by dementia.

An article about New York State’s 10 Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, including the Western New York center based at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, interviews Bruce R. Troen, MD, center co-director and professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Kinga Szigeti, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology and center co-director.

Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine, have concluded a preclinical study that showed that brief periods of intense physical activity can be safely administered at an advanced age, and that this kind of activity has the potential to reverse frailty. “We know that being frail or being at risk for becoming frail puts people at increased risk of dying and comorbidity,” Troen said. “These results show that it’s possible that high-intensity interval training can help enhance quality of life and capacity to be healthy.”

Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, led a study that used geriatric mice that ran on treadmills to learn whether abbreviated, intense workouts may help people of any age become healthier. “The animals had tolerated the high-intensity interval training well,” despite their advanced ages, he said, noting that interval training has a signature advantage. “You get done so quickly.”

A UB study used geriatric mice that ran on treadmills to learn whether abbreviated, intense workouts may help people of any age become healthier. Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, conducted the study. “The animals had tolerated the high-intensity interval training well,” despite their advanced ages, he said, noting that interval training has a signature advantage. “You get done so quickly.”

Bruce Naughton, MD, of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine, knew he wanted to focus on primary care and underserved populations once he learned about the needs in the field of medicine.