UAMS offers what seniors need to age well
s a proud sponsor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s 2017 Senior Expo, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences strives to educate Arkansans on the services available to seniors. The UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of Arkansas seniors. Within the Reynolds Institute on Aging, the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic provides primary care for seniors. Specialists and subspecialists come to see patients at the clinic, eliminating the need for them to travel to multiple doctor’s offices. But even for an older individual who has already established doctors in the community, the clinic’s team-based holistic approach offers primary-care geriatricians, advanced-practice nurses, pharmacists, social workers and staff to coordinate and manage complex issues that might be faced by older adults. Available for patients and nonpatients alike, the Ottenheimer Therapy and Fitness Center is designed for people ages 50 and older. The center offers exercise equipment, a swimming pool, weight machines, educational programs and exercise classes under the supervision of experienced fitness coordinators. Other resources are computer training for seniors by seniors, caregiver support groups and education through the Heart Health Clinic. The palliative care service focuses on pain management and other specialized care for people with serious illnesses through an outpatient clinic, home-based care and nursing-home consultative services. Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders is available through the Pat and Willard Walker Family Memory Center. The institute’s Arkansas Aging Initiative and its Centers on Aging put 92 percent of Arkansans age 65 and older within 60 miles of a geriatric team specializing in all age-related issues. Each Center on Aging offers a program designed to help seniors remain in their homes as they age well. Called the Schmieding Home Caregiver Training Program, it is available for teaching the basics of caring for someone with special needs at home.