GEMCAST

Christina Shenvi

Welcome to GEMCAST! Shownotes and more info are available on https://gedcollaborative.com/resources/?type=podcast. GEMCAST is a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Podcast created to help clinicians, nurses, or paramedics who take care of older adults, particularly in the Emergency Department setting. Welcome! I'm your host, Christina Shenvi. You can connect with me on twitter @clshenvi Disclaimer: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast or website as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast or website. Under no circumstances shall this podcast, website, or any contributors to it be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast. Furthermore, this podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.

  1. Fire, Flood, and Fragility: Disasters Through a Geriatric Lens

    1 DAY AGO

    Fire, Flood, and Fragility: Disasters Through a Geriatric Lens

    Dr. Stephen Gamboa is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UNC and medical director of UNC Health Pardee's emergency department in Hendersonville, North Carolina. In today’s GEMCast episode, he shares his first-hand experiences from two major natural disasters: the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California and Hurricane Helene, which hit Western North Carolina in 2024. As he joins host Dr. Christina Shenvi, the two talk about how these events have a disproportionate impact amongst our frail older patients, which can be attributed to age-related comorbidities, reduced mobility, and higher care needs. Tune in and hear a variety of innovative solutions brought about by the various challenges that these major events can pose. The immediate impacts of natural disasters, such as smoke inhalation and needing to rapidly evacuate homes and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), are just the tip of the iceberg. Older patients with decompensation or exacerbations of chronic conditions made up a large proportion of the increased demand on EDs following these disasters. Coupled with power outages, electricity shortages, no internet connectivity, and pharmacies closing, Dr. Gamboa describes how his team had to adapt quickly and how system-level support from UNC during Hurricane Helene, including staff, equipment and transport, was crucial to providing care to these vulnerable patients. Find more information about this topic at https://gedcollaborative.com/resource/falls/fire-flood-and-fragility-disasters-through-a-geriatric-lens/ . GEMCAST is a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Podcast created to help clinicians, nurses, or paramedics who take care of older adults, particularly in the Emergency Department setting. GEMCast episodes, show notes and recommended resources can be found on the Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative (GEDC) website at https://gedcollaborative.com/resources/?type=podcast.

    34 min
  2. Acute care of persons living with Dementia: From the clinic to the ED and back

    3 MAR

    Acute care of persons living with Dementia: From the clinic to the ED and back

    In this episode of GEMCast, Dr. Christina Shenvi sits down with Dr. Christina Prather, Director of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at George Washington University, for a dynamic, coffee-style conversation about innovations and challenges in geriatric emergency care. They explore strategies for supporting older adults with dementia, preventing avoidable ED visits, and advancing patient-centered care through better communication, system protocols, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Listen in for practical tips, real-world stories, and insights on how emergency clinicians and leaders can better navigate the complexities of cognitive impairment and deliver compassionate, collaborative care to our aging population. Additional resources can be found at https://gedcollaborative.com/resource/dementia/acute-care-of-persons-living-with-dementia-from-the-clinic-to-the-ed-and-back/.

    42 min
  3. Frailty Frontline: How to identify frailty, and what to do next

    18/12/2025

    Frailty Frontline: How to identify frailty, and what to do next

    In this episode of GEMCast, host Dr. Christina Shenvi is joined by Dr. James Van Oppen, emergency physician and frailty expert at the University of Sheffield, to discuss the rising importance of frailty in emergency medicine. Frailty, defined as the loss of physiological resilience, is both common and clinically significant for older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED). The two discuss what frailty means, how it can be identified, and how to approach ED assessment and management in a frail patient, emphasizing the value of person-centred care. Furthermore, they highlight recent studies regarding frailty, which can be found in the resources below, and discuss the need for system-wide changes to support frailty care. Alongside his work as an emergency physician and clinical lecturer, Dr. van Oppen is the chair of the geriatric emergency medicine section of the European Society of Emergency Medicine. Tune in to this episode to expand your understanding of frailty and hear some practical tips to improve your clinical practice.

    31 min
  4. Getting Hotter Heat Emergencies in Older Adults

    05/11/2025

    Getting Hotter Heat Emergencies in Older Adults

    Climate change, and the associated increase in frequency and severity of heat waves, poses a threat to health. Amongst the most at risk for heat-related emergencies are older adults; age-associated physiologic vulnerabilities, chronic conditions, medications that disrupt thermoregulatory responses, and social determinants all contribute to an increased risk of heat-related illness in this population. When an older adult presents to the emergency department (ED) with vague or subtle symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, they may be missed by ED practitioners – a concerning thought as these patients are at a greater risk of mortality from heat-related emergencies. Optimal management of these presentations requires clinical recognition and treatment within the ED as well as pre-hospital interventions that can be given by emergency medical services (EMS). GEMCast host Dr. Christina Shenvi is joined by Geoff Comp, Associate Program Director at Creighton University School of Medicine/Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, as the two do an in-depth review of this critical topic. Dr. Comp holds a wilderness medicine fellowship through the Wilderness Medical Society and is an expert in heat-related illness. Show notes are available on the Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative (GEDC) website. https://gedcollaborative.com/resource/atypical-presentations/getting-hotter-heat-emergencies-in-older-adults/

    33 min
  5. POCUS for Delirium and Agitation: Be ABLE

    28/09/2025

    POCUS for Delirium and Agitation: Be ABLE

    Our population is aging, and with that comes an increase in the number of older adults in emergency departments. Delirium affects up to 1/3 older adults who present to the ED and is a medical emergency that is often overlooked by ED clinicians. In this episode of GEMCast host Dr. Christina Shenvi discusses the importance of recognising delirium, documenting it, and intervening where possible in the ED with Dr. Kayla Furlong and Dr. Gillian Sheppard. Dr. Furlong and Dr. Sheppard are both emergency medicine physicians in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, who are experts in point of care ultrasound (POCUS). Dr. Furlong is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University and is the Chair of the CAEP Geriatric EM Committee. Dr. Sheppard is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Discipline of Emergency Medicine at Memorial University. She is also a Diplomate of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada with an Area of Focused Competence in POCUS and is the education lead for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians Emergency Ultrasound Committee. They have taken a special interest in whether the use of POCUS increases the ED clinicians’ ability to determine the aetiology of a geriatric patient’s delirium or agitation, and in doing so have developed the ABLE approach. They discuss why and how POCUS can be a useful tool and provide helpful tips for ED clinicians for how to implement POCUS. Tune in to learn more about how to approach older adults in the ED considering delirium, agitation, and the challenges they present. For further show notes head to https://gedcollaborative.com/resource/delirium/delirium-agitation-and-the-role-of-pocus-in-older-adults-in-the-ed/

    32 min
  6. ED Boarding of Older Adults: Risks and Opportunities

    11/09/2025

    ED Boarding of Older Adults: Risks and Opportunities

    ED Boarding of Older Adults: Risks and Opportunities by Christina Shenvi

    37 min
  7. Getting ED Specific with Medication Safety

    07/07/2025

    Getting ED Specific with Medication Safety

    Getting ED Specific with Medication Safety by Christina Shenvi

    29 min
  8. Precision Relief: Nerve Blocks for Pain in Older Patients

    16/05/2025

    Precision Relief: Nerve Blocks for Pain in Older Patients

    In today’s episode host Dr. Christina Shenvi is joined by Dr. Robert Sternberg, Ultrasound Director at Akron General to discuss ultrasound-guided nerve blocks for precise pain relief in older patients. Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks provide relief from one of the most common emergency department complaints: pain. In addition to their use in acute pain management, nerve blocks can help reduce the use of opioids, reduce hospital length of stay, and improve patient outcomes and experiences. Using case examples, Dr. Sternberg talks through how to perform 4 common types of nerve blocks you may use in the emergency department with an elderly patient: Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (FICB), Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) Block, Serratus Anterior Plane (SAP) Block and Erector Spinae Block (ESB). Tune in to hear indications, key anatomical landmarks, dosing, and techniques for each of the nerve blocks.

    47 min
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About

Welcome to GEMCAST! Shownotes and more info are available on https://gedcollaborative.com/resources/?type=podcast. GEMCAST is a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Podcast created to help clinicians, nurses, or paramedics who take care of older adults, particularly in the Emergency Department setting. Welcome! I'm your host, Christina Shenvi. You can connect with me on twitter @clshenvi Disclaimer: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast or website as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast or website. Under no circumstances shall this podcast, website, or any contributors to it be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast. Furthermore, this podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Christina Shenvi
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    GEMCAST

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