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Geriatric Emergency Medicine Committee

Annual Report (2025-2026)

Chair:

Dr. Kayla Furlong

Read PDF report


Committee Overview

Mission

Our mission is to provide a forum for Canadian Emergency Medicine (EM) clinicians, researchers, educators, and administrators committed to optimizing the care of older adults in emergency departments (EDs), and to define and promote standards of excellence in their care.

Vision

Our vision is to create an environment within the Canadian emergency care community that promotes best practice, education, research, advocacy, and collaboration to improve older adult emergency care across Canada.

Committee Leadership (June 2025–Present)

Major committee leadership changes occurred in June 2025. Current committee members include:

  • Chair: Dr. Kayla Furlong

  • Vice-Chair (Chair-Elect): Dr. Priyank Bhatnagar

  • Immediate Past Chair: Dr. Brittany Ellis

  • Past Chair: Dr. Don Melady

  • Secretary: Dr. Kira Gossack-Keenan (vacant until September 2025)

  • CPD & Education Lead: Dr. Alice Gray

  • Membership & Communications Lead: Dr. Rebecca Schonnop

  • Resident Representative: Dr. Jamie Vander Ende

  • Members-at-Large:

    • Dr. Kevin Boreskie

    • Dr. Isabelle Gray

    • Dr. Margaret McGillivray

    • Dr. Audrey-Anne Brousseau

    • Dr. Marie-Pier Lanoue

Dr. Doug Sinclair and Dr. Debra Eagles officially stepped away from committee duties during the year.

Key Achievements & Highlights

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) & Education

  • Dr. Isabelle Gray joined Dr. Alice Gray in co-leading CPD and Education initiatives.

  • Hosted an in-person CAEP Geriatric EM Course on November 19, 2025, at University Health Network in Toronto.

    • 30 registrants:

      • 17 physicians

      • 11 residents

      • 2 physician assistants

  • Hosted a virtual Geriatric EM Course on February 5, 2026.

    • 20 registrants:

      • 17 physicians

      • 2 allied health professionals

      • 1 student

  • Planned an in-person course in Kingston, Ontario for Fall 2026.

  • Began planning updates and revisions to the Geriatric EM Course curriculum.

  • Hosted Dr. Christina Shenvi (University of North Carolina) for a presentation on teamwork in geriatric emergency medicine.

  • Dr. Priyank Bhatnagar is leading the development of a FOAMed Geriatric EM curriculum and teaching resource.

    • Will be hosted on the CAEP Geriatric EM webpage.

    • Will include presentations, case studies, learning objectives, and educational resources.

    • Anticipated launch: Fall 2026.

CAEP Grand Rounds

December 10, 2025The Agitated Older Adult in the ED: Caring Better

Speakers:

  • Dr. Zahra Goodarzi (Calgary)

  • Dr. Linda Liu (Toronto)

  • Dr. Shan Liu (Boston)

Participation:

  • 98 registrants

  • 48 live participants

  • 12 archived views

Upcoming CAEP Grand Rounds

  • November 4, 2026

    • Falling Through the Cracks: A Look at Geriatric Trauma and Falls

  • April 14, 2027

    • Reimagining the ED for Older Adults: Geriatric Emergency Care in Any Setting

Communications & Social Media

Newsletter

  • Released a Fall 2025 newsletter in collaboration with ICEM and its Geriatric EM group.

National Seniors Day (October 1)

Dr. Priyank Bhatnagar and Dr. Zahra Goodarzi created educational videos on frailty and older adults.

Instagram

  • 1,100 views

  • 810 reach

  • 32 interactions

    • 23 likes

    • 4 shares

    • 3 saves

  • 3 follows

Facebook

  • 239 views

  • 182 viewers reached

  • 1 interaction

World Delirium Day (March 11)

Krista-Lyn created a "5 Tips to Improve Delirium Awareness in Your ED" social media campaign.

Instagram

  • 3,100 views

  • 1,200 reach

  • 60 interactions

    • 31 likes

    • 20 shares

    • 5 saves

  • 1 follow

Facebook

  • 422 views

  • 277 viewers reached

  • 3 interactions

    • 1 like

    • 1 share

    • 1 save

Social Media Channels

The committee remains active on three social media platforms, with the strongest engagement occurring on Instagram. Jacky Lee, a medical student, has supported these efforts alongside Dr. Rebecca Schonnop.

Upcoming Awareness Campaigns

  • National Seniors Day – October 1

  • Falls Prevention Month – November

  • World Delirium Day – March 11

Advocacy

The committee participated in the Future of Emergency Medicine Forum 2.0 for the first time, reflecting the identification of older adults as a priority area through EM:POWER: The Future of Emergency Care.

Forum Planning Team

  • Dr. Kayla Furlong

  • Dr. Brittany Ellis

  • Dr. Don Melady

  • Dr. Isabelle Gray

  • Dr. Priyank Bhatnagar

  • Dr. Jamie Vander Ende

Resources Developed

  • Lay summary for forum participants

  • Advocacy letter

  • Infographics based on the CAEP Position Statement on Older Adults in Canadian EDs

  • Promotional infographics for the CAEP Geriatric EM Course

  • PowerPoint presentation summarizing supporting evidence and data

All resources were compiled into an education package distributed electronically and in print.

Community Engagement

  • Recruited Alzheimer's Society of Ontario as a community partner.

  • Identified and recruited patient/care partner Andrea Riddoch to support advocacy efforts through storytelling and lived experience.

Research

  • Continued discussions on expanding research networks and collaborations.

  • Established committee liaisons with international geriatric EM organizations:

    • Dr. Kayla Furlong – EUSEM and SAEM

    • Dr. Michele Lucey – ACEP

    • Dr. Don Melady and Dr. Brittany Ellis – IFEM

  • Discussed creating a formal research leadership role within the committee.

CAEP26 Conference

Committee involvement includes:

  • 2 Marketplace Booths

  • 3 Platform Talks

  • 5 Lightning Oral Presentations

  • 1 Moderated Poster

  • 1 Research Poster

Impact & Outcomes

Support for CAEP Strategic Priorities

Advocacy

  • Significant contribution to the Future of Emergency Medicine Forum 2.0.

Connecting the EM Community

  • Engaged non-EM experts in educational activities, including:

    • Dr. Zahra Goodarzi (Geriatrician)

    • Linda Liu (Nurse Practitioner)

Leading EM Education

  • Delivered multiple iterations of the CAEP Geriatric EM Course.

Defining Standards for Quality EM Care

  • Continued promotion of the CAEP Position Statement on Older Adults in Canadian EDs.

  • Developed five key geriatric EM messages through the Forum process.

Collaboration

  • Worked closely with community partners and stakeholders through Future of EM Forum 2.0 activities.

Support for Emergency Medicine & Patient Care

The committee continues to advance geriatric emergency medicine through:

  • Promotion of Geriatric EM Guidelines (2014)

  • Dissemination of IFEM publications and resources

  • Promotion of resources such as:

    • geri-em.com

    • Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative (GEDC)

The committee is working toward harmonizing geriatric EM education nationally.

Community and Patient Partnerships

A major accomplishment this year was establishing stronger community and patient partnerships.

  • Developed a formal relationship with Alzheimer's Society Ontario.

  • Recruited care partner Andrea Riddoch to support:

    • Education initiatives

    • Advocacy activities

    • Future patient and care partner recruitment

Metrics & Data

Course Participation

Course participation data is included within the CPD & Education section above.

Social Media Analytics

Social media metrics are included within the Communications & Social Media section above.

Committee Meetings

The committee meets quarterly, with all meetings held virtually except the Annual General Meeting.

Meeting dates:

  • September 9, 2025

  • December 9, 2025

  • March 10, 2026

  • June 8, 2026 (AGM at CAEP Conference)

Membership

  • June 2025 Listserv Membership: ~50 members

  • Current Listserv Membership: 58 members

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