Research and Conference Focus on 'Protecting Our Elderly'

Gerontologist Carmel B. Dyer, M.D., will give the keynote address at the 21st Annual Selenia E. and Joseph C. Valley Conference, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at the University of Houston Hilton Hotel and Conference Center, 4800 Calhoun Street.

Dyer, director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, is an author of a new study of "self-neglect" among older persons published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers examined the medical and testing records for 538 adults diagnosed with self-neglect whom Adult Protective Services in Houston referred to a geriatrics medical team. Two-thirds of these older adults were found to have health problems that kept them from functioning normally, and half scored poorly on mental health tests. Nearly 95 percent of the patients lacked adequate social support from family, caregivers or others.

The conference, sponsored by the UT School of Nursing at Houston's Center on Aging, will explore "Protecting Our Elderly - Recognizing and Preventing Elder Abuse and Neglect: Community & Residential Consideration."

Dyer, who holds the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Chair in Gerontology, will be honored at the conference luncheon as Gerontological Professional of the Year. Charlene Hunter James, director of the Harris County Area Agency on Aging, will be honored as Community Advocate of the Year.

Conference registration is $75, or $50 for students. For more information, call 713-500-9921.

By Deborah Mann Lake, Institutional Advancement

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