2026 Geriatric Symposium: Advancing Geriatrics Through Age-Friendly Care

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*Registration payment includes Credit Cards and Interfund Transfers ONLY.

Target Audience

Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Social Workers, Students and other interested healthcare professionals.

Description

This educational event is jointly provided by South Piedmont AHEC, Wake AHEC, and Eastern AHEC. The UNC Center for Aging and Health, Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program also provided support.

Join us for the 2026 Geriatric Symposium - an engaging event that brings together clinicians, educators, and healthcare leaders dedicated to improving care for older adults. This symposium offers a unique opportunity for interprofessional learning, community engagement, and the exchange of knowledge and experiences centered on age-friendly care.
Through interactive presentations and real-world case discussions, participants will explore the essential pillars of age-friendly care, including aligning care with patient goals, managing medications safely, and identifying frailty using proven screening tools.
Discover how social vulnerability influences health outcomes and gain practical leadership strategies to implement age-friendly principles across diverse care settings. Whether you are delivering care or driving system-level change, this symposium provides the insights and tools needed to enhance quality, safety, and equity for aging populations.

TOPICS
Why Age Friendly Care Matters
Ben Blomberg, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics
UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Eliciting Patient Healthcare Goals
Beth Rosenberg, MSW, LCSW, APHSW-C
Program Coordinator, Advance Care Planning
Your Care-Your Choice
Advocate Health

Responsible Medication Management
Kelly Jamieson, PharmD, BCGP
Geriatric Clinical Pharmacist
Advocate Health

Health System Leadership for Age-Friendly Care
Anna Hicks, MD
Administrative Director for Age-Friendly Services,
Advent Health Hendersonville, NC

Amanda Meier, BSW, MA
Project Manager – Age Friendly Health Systems
Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Social Vulnerability
Kimberly Delgado, PhD, RN, CDP, CADDCT
Clinical Assistant Professor, Baccalaureate Education Department
Clinical Research Nurse, Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program
ECU College of Nursing

Frailty Screening and Intervention
Tiffany Shubert, PhD
Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

CE CREDIT:
Nursing:
4.5 Nursing Contact Hours
South Piedmont Area Health Education Center is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the North Carolina Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

NCBPTE:
3.0 NCBPTE Contact Hours
The North Carolina AHEC system is an approved provider by the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners with regard to activities directly related to physical therapy for continued competence.

Nursing Home Administrators (NHA)
Application has been made to the NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators for 4.5 hours of credit.

4.5 Contact Hours/0.5 CEUs:

LEARNING OUTCOME:
At the conclusion of this educational activity, the participant will articulate knowledge of age-friendly care and practical strategies in communication, medication management, screening, and leadership that will be implemented in their work.

Registering for and attending a South Piedmont AHEC program authorizes South Piedmont AHEC to take audio, video, and/or still images to be used for promotional and educational purposes. If you have concerns, please speak with a South Piedmont AHEC team member.



This project is/was supported by funds from the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under grant number U1QHP28734, Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by the BHPr, HRSA, DHHS or the U.S. Government.

The UNC Center for Aging and Health, Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program also provided support.

Objectives

• Describe the core principles of age-friendly care and explain its impact on health outcomes for older adults.
• Demonstrate effective communication strategies to elicit and integrate older adults’ healthcare goals into care planning.
• Describe strategies for optimizing medication use in older adults, including identifying potentially inappropriate medications with consideration for potentially safer alternatives, deprescribing, and mitigating the risk of adverse drug events.
• Understand requirements for CMS Age-Friendly Attestation Domain 5: Age-Friendly Leadership.
• Understand the steps to implement the 4Ms Framework within your nursing home or health system, including available resources, on-ramps, and the Age-Friendly recognition process.
• Identify key indicators of social vulnerability in older adults and implement targeted interventions to address social determinants of health that impact aging outcomes.
• Discuss the relationship between frailty and mobility.
• Utilize evidence-based screening tools to assess frailty and mobility.
• Evaluate outcomes to develop individualized care strategies to mitigate risks and enhance functional resilience.

Sessions