Here - American Geriatrics Society

P OSTER
A BSTRACTS
the outpatient setting. Our ultimate goal is to enhance the abilities of
medical students to work collaboratively with the disciplines of nursing
and pharmacy to consider the needs of older adults using an interdisciplinary
learning methodology.
C82
Geriatric Relocation Syndrome: A Marker for Frailty in Older
Adults?
A. Ahmed, S. Friedman, K. McCormick. University of Rochester,
Rochester, NY.
Background: Demographic changes have created a new dynamic
which results in substantial late life geographic relocation
within the United States. The aim of this study was firstly to assess if
there was a difference between patients who relocated and patients
who did not in terms of their overall health, and secondly to gauge
whether relocation contributed to risk of mortality longitudinally.
Methods: A convenience sample was obtained of 440 patients
who were newly enrolled in a Geriatric outpatient practice attached
to a university hospital in Rochester, NY. Subjects were identified as
having moved at least 60 miles in the past year (n= 64) or not
(n=376). Demographics, functional status, self-reported health, and
comorbidities were recorded. Comparisons were made between “relocators”
and “non-relocators” via Chi square and t-test analysis as
appropriate. A Cox Proportional Hazard analysis was completed to
assess impact of relocation status on mortality for the 429 subjects
who had complete data on mortality and death date.
Results: Subjects’ self report of health was more likely to be
“fair” or “poor” for relocated patients (27.0% vs 19.1%, P