Newsletter

Quarter 4 2026

Monthly Update

As we launch this latest quarterly newsletter, I am filled with immense pride reflecting on the incredible strides the Azusa Pacific University Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (APU GWEP) has made. Guided by our core vision to elevate care for older adults across Southern California, our team of faculty, clinical preceptors, and community stakeholders has been working tirelessly to bridge the gap between academic excellence and real-world clinical impact.

Here are the major milestones, innovative programs, and scholarly accomplishments positioning APU as a national model for interprofessional geriatric education:

Whether we are refining care metrics at partner clinical sites or expanding online training, our momentum is unyielding. Thank you to our regional health networks, community partners, and dedicated trainees for your shared commitment to this transformative journey.
I encourage you to explore the other articles featured in this issue to see the full scope of our community’s work, and to take action by bookmarking and returning to our website often for regular updates, resources, and program news.


– Dr. David V. Picella, PhD, FNP, CNS, GS-C, CPG

What’s Up Next

Upcoming Events

1st Speaker of July:

Pamela Z. Cacchione, PhD

Seminar Title: Social and Assistive Technologies in Care of Older Adults

Register

Presentation Date: 7/14/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: Dr. Cacchione will be presenting her research with different types of robots and technologies with older adults. She will share studies with different types of social assitive robots as well as robots to support activities of daily living and physical function. Additionally she will share her work with a digital pet therapy APP and Heart Failure Monitoring Socks that measure response to treatment as well as heart failure exacerbations.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Cacchione is the Ralston House Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing and Professor of Geropsychiatric Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (GNP) who has practiced for over 30 years across the care continuum. She is a nurse leader, scientist and innovator. She has served as the President of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, the Health Sciences Chair for the Gerontological Society of America and the Chair of the Aging Panel for the American Academy of Nursing. Her research investigates the use of social and rehabilitative robots for older adults. She is passionate about improving lives of older adults and persons with chronic illnesses, particularly heart failure. She has a Penn UP Start Company, AgingSense Where she focuses on developing technologies. She developed Heart Failure Monitoring Socks which are under the first phase of testing with persons with heart failure. Dr Cacchione received her BSN from Villanova University, MSN as a GNP from Marymount University and PhD from Saint Louis University. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa in intervention research. Dr. Cacchione is a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of American and the American Academy of Nursing.

Seminar Objectives:

  • Recognize the importance of human-centered design when developing technologies to support older adults
  • Learn the importance of setting up realistic expectations of what can be expected from different types of technologies
  • Gain insights into how to engage older adults in research

2nd Speaker of July:

Sanggon Nam, PhD

Seminar Title: Aging, Mobility, and Health Equity Lessons from Older Mexican Americans and Diverse Older Adults

Register

Presentation Date: 7/17/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: Join us for this critical Grand Rounds seminar addressing aging, mobility, and health equity in rapidly diversifying older adult populations. This interdisciplinary session bridges longitudinal research with clinical excellence, equipping healthcare providers with actionable frameworks to treat lower-body function as a clinical vital sign while delivering culturally responsive, ‘Age-Friendly’ care that directly addresses the unique disparities faced by diverse older adults.

Background: Dr. Sanggon Nam is an Associate Professor of Public Health in the School of Nursing at Azusa Pacific University, with over 15 years of experience specializing in social epidemiology, minority aging, and health disparities. A recognized expert in health policy and public health preparedness, he has secured major federal funding, including a $5 million HRSA grant, and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals using advanced biostatistics and machine learning. Dr. Nam actively bridges research and practice through leadership roles with the California Department of Public Health’s Climate and Health Equity Advisory Group, the NNPHI PH LEADS Steering Committee, and past work as a county epidemiologist. Dedicated to inclusive teaching and mentorship, he serves on his university’s Diversity Council and has advised over 200 graduate theses and dissertations. He holds a Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine and Community Health from the University of Texas Medical Branch.

1st Speaker of July:

Pamela Z. Cacchione, PhD

Seminar Title: Social and Assistive Technologies in Care of Older Adults

Register

Presentation Date: 7/14/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: Dr. Cacchione will be presenting her research with different types of robots and technologies with older adults. She will share studies with different types of social assitive robots as well as robots to support activities of daily living and physical function. Additionally she will share her work with a digital pet therapy APP and Heart Failure Monitoring Socks that measure response to treatment as well as heart failure exacerbations.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Cacchione is the Ralston House Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing and Professor of Geropsychiatric Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (GNP) who has practiced for over 30 years across the care continuum. She is a nurse leader, scientist and innovator. She has served as the President of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, the Health Sciences Chair for the Gerontological Society of America and the Chair of the Aging Panel for the American Academy of Nursing. Her research investigates the use of social and rehabilitative robots for older adults. She is passionate about improving lives of older adults and persons with chronic illnesses, particularly heart failure. She has a Penn UP Start Company, AgingSense Where she focuses on developing technologies. She developed Heart Failure Monitoring Socks which are under the first phase of testing with persons with heart failure. Dr Cacchione received her BSN from Villanova University, MSN as a GNP from Marymount University and PhD from Saint Louis University. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa in intervention research. Dr. Cacchione is a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of American and the American Academy of Nursing.

Seminar Objectives:

  • Recognize the importance of human-centered design when developing technologies to support older adults
  • Learn the importance of setting up realistic expectations of what can be expected from different types of technologies
  • Gain insights into how to engage older adults in research

2nd Speaker of July:

Sanggon Nam, PhD

Seminar Title: Aging, Mobility, and Health Equity Lessons from Older Mexican Americans and Diverse Older Adults

Register

Presentation Date: 7/17/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: Join us for this critical Grand Rounds seminar addressing aging, mobility, and health equity in rapidly diversifying older adult populations. This interdisciplinary session bridges longitudinal research with clinical excellence, equipping healthcare providers with actionable frameworks to treat lower-body function as a clinical vital sign while delivering culturally responsive, ‘Age-Friendly’ care that directly addresses the unique disparities faced by diverse older adults.

Background: Dr. Sanggon Nam is an Associate Professor of Public Health in the School of Nursing at Azusa Pacific University, with over 15 years of experience specializing in social epidemiology, minority aging, and health disparities. A recognized expert in health policy and public health preparedness, he has secured major federal funding, including a $5 million HRSA grant, and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals using advanced biostatistics and machine learning. Dr. Nam actively bridges research and practice through leadership roles with the California Department of Public Health’s Climate and Health Equity Advisory Group, the NNPHI PH LEADS Steering Committee, and past work as a county epidemiologist. Dedicated to inclusive teaching and mentorship, he serves on his university’s Diversity Council and has advised over 200 graduate theses and dissertations. He holds a Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine and Community Health from the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Article Spotlight

Unlocking Excellence in Long-Term Care: The “Leading Age-Friendly Care” Micro-Certification

Written by Lauren Rowley

The landscape of long-term care is facing an unprecedented shift. By 2034, older adults are projected to outnumber children in the United States for the first time in history, bringing a dramatic rise in clinical complexity to skilled nursing facilities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). At the same time, healthcare administrators are navigating unprecedented staffing shortages, rising regulatory demands, and a pressing need for system-level . . .

Read The Full Article Here

December 2025

Geriatric News

News Articles:

After the ICU, Some Older Adults Less Likely to Receive Home-Based Rehabilitation

Researchers at Yale discovered that social factors, such as limited income, non-white race or Hispanic ethnicity, and lower levels of education, significantly reduce the likelihood that older adults will receive home-based rehabilitation after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The study found that these disparities persist even when patients have identical clinical needs, suggesting that standardizing hospital referral pathways and addressing socioeconomic barriers could help ensure vulnerable populations achieve a full functional recovery.

Website Link

After the ICU, Some Older Adults Less Likely to Receive Home-Based Rehabilitation

Researchers at Yale discovered that social factors, such as limited income, non-white race or Hispanic ethnicity, and lower levels of education, significantly reduce the likelihood that older adults will receive home-based rehabilitation after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The study found that these disparities persist even when patients have identical clinical needs, suggesting that standardizing hospital referral pathways and addressing socioeconomic barriers could help ensure vulnerable populations achieve a full functional recovery.

Website Link

Is napping a sign of a deeper health problem?

Researchers at Mass General Brigham discovered that excessive and frequent daytime napping in older adults is linked to higher mortality rates, signaling potential underlying health conditions rather than causing them. The study found that while short, afternoon naps under an hour remain benign, every additional hour of napping increases mortality risk by roughly 13 percent, with morning naps emerging as a particularly strong red flag for underlying disease.

Website Link

Is napping a sign of a deeper health problem?

Researchers at Mass General Brigham discovered that excessive and frequent daytime napping in older adults is linked to higher mortality rates, signaling potential underlying health conditions rather than causing them. The study found that while short, afternoon naps under an hour remain benign, every additional hour of napping increases mortality risk by roughly 13 percent, with morning naps emerging as a particularly strong red flag for underlying disease.

Website Link

Sleep linked to slower ageing: huge study pinpoints the right amount

A comprehensive analysis of half a million adults discovered that sleeping between six and eight hours per day acts as a natural buffer against accelerated biological aging. The study found that getting either more or less than this optimal range is associated with advanced aging across nearly two dozen different biological aging “clocks,” which assess overall impact on the body. While the results do not establish direct causality, they provide one of the most exhaustive snapshots to date of the interplay between sleep duration and cellular longevity.

Website Link

Sleep linked to slower ageing: huge study pinpoints the right amount

A comprehensive analysis of half a million adults discovered that sleeping between six and eight hours per day acts as a natural buffer against accelerated biological aging. The study found that getting either more or less than this optimal range is associated with advanced aging across nearly two dozen different biological aging “clocks,” which assess overall impact on the body. While the results do not establish direct causality, they provide one of the most exhaustive snapshots to date of the interplay between sleep duration and cellular longevity.

Website Link

October 2025

New and Upcoming Research

Other Research Articles:

Telemedicine Reimbursement Changes and Health Care Contact Days for Older Adults

Researchers conducting a cross-sectional study found that the expiration of pandemic-era Medicare telemedicine waivers would dramatically increase the burden of care for older adults by converting remote visits into mandatory in-person health care contact days. The study estimated that if affected telemedicine services were fully substituted with in-person care, nearly three-quarters of older telemedicine users would face at least one additional contact day, accumulating millions of extra in-person care days systemwide. This resulting logistical and travel burden would fall disproportionately on sicker beneficiaries, specifically those managing multiple chronic conditions or experiencing baseline difficulties getting places. Ultimately, the findings suggest that a permanent legislative extension of these waivers is necessary to protect vulnerable older adults from facing severe care access barriers.

Website Link

Telemedicine Reimbursement Changes and Health Care Contact Days for Older Adults

Researchers conducting a cross-sectional study found that the expiration of pandemic-era Medicare telemedicine waivers would dramatically increase the burden of care for older adults by converting remote visits into mandatory in-person health care contact days. The study estimated that if affected telemedicine services were fully substituted with in-person care, nearly three-quarters of older telemedicine users would face at least one additional contact day, accumulating millions of extra in-person care days systemwide. This resulting logistical and travel burden would fall disproportionately on sicker beneficiaries, specifically those managing multiple chronic conditions or experiencing baseline difficulties getting places. Ultimately, the findings suggest that a permanent legislative extension of these waivers is necessary to protect vulnerable older adults from facing severe care access barriers.

Website Link

Personality Traits and Social Isolation in Older Adults

A longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA Network Open discovered that specific Big Five personality traits, particularly extraversion and agreeableness, are associated with a lower risk of objective social isolation among community-dwelling older adults. Utilizing data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), researchers found that these traits were protective against social isolation cross-sectionally at baseline, with extraversion emerging as a uniquely consistent predictor of reduced risk at a 3-year follow-up. However, these protective associations attenuated at the 6- and 9-year follow-ups after fully adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates, indicating that while personality traits play a meaningful role in shaping short-term social connectedness, broader life-course and contextual factors may heavily influence long-term isolation trajectories.

Website Link

Personality Traits and Social Isolation in Older Adults

A longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA Network Open discovered that specific Big Five personality traits, particularly extraversion and agreeableness, are associated with a lower risk of objective social isolation among community-dwelling older adults. Utilizing data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), researchers found that these traits were protective against social isolation cross-sectionally at baseline, with extraversion emerging as a uniquely consistent predictor of reduced risk at a 3-year follow-up. However, these protective associations attenuated at the 6- and 9-year follow-ups after fully adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates, indicating that while personality traits play a meaningful role in shaping short-term social connectedness, broader life-course and contextual factors may heavily influence long-term isolation trajectories.

Website Link

High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccines in Older Adults

Researchers in a new meta-analysis discovered that a high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV) acts as a superior protective measure for older adults by significantly reducing hospitalizations compared with standard-dose vaccines. The study synthesized data from eight randomized clinical trials involving over 600,000 participants and found that HD-IIV significantly lowered hospitalizations for influenza, pneumonia, cardiorespiratory disease, and all causes, though it did not impact all-cause mortality. These findings suggest that the high-dose vaccine offers clinically relevant improvements in preventing severe outcomes in adults aged 65 and older, providing valuable data to inform future public health vaccine policies.

Website Link

High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccines in Older Adults

Researchers in a new meta-analysis discovered that a high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV) acts as a superior protective measure for older adults by significantly reducing hospitalizations compared with standard-dose vaccines. The study synthesized data from eight randomized clinical trials involving over 600,000 participants and found that HD-IIV significantly lowered hospitalizations for influenza, pneumonia, cardiorespiratory disease, and all causes, though it did not impact all-cause mortality. These findings suggest that the high-dose vaccine offers clinically relevant improvements in preventing severe outcomes in adults aged 65 and older, providing valuable data to inform future public health vaccine policies.

Website Link

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