Community Outreach & Education
Community outreach and education are central to the mission of the Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine. We partner with senior centers, faith-based organizations, health professionals, and community groups across Houston to promote healthy aging and improve quality of life for older adults and caregivers.
Our faculty also serve as trusted experts in television and radio interviews, sharing evidence-based guidance on aging, dementia care, serious illness, caregiving, and advance care planning. These media engagements extend our reach and help connect the broader community with reliable, practical health information.
Through these efforts, we empower Houstonians to seek care early, support healthy aging, and reduce age-related health risks through coordinated, team-based care.
In partnership with UTHealth Houston’s Institute on Aging, we collaborate on university-wide initiatives and community programs that advance age-friendly care. Together, we support key initiatives such as the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Hot Topics in Aging conference promoting awareness, education, and innovation in aging care across the region.
What We Provide
- Our outreach programs support our community through education on:
- Age-friendly care and community connection
- Healthy aging and prevention
- Memory concerns and cognitive decline
- Caregiver support and resources
- Elder mistreatment awareness and prevention
- Advance care planning
Key Annual Events
The Geriatric Medication Safety Symposium
A hybrid educational symposium focused on medication safety in older adults. Open to health professionals, trainees, and community partners. Continuing education may be available. For more information, please contact Angelica Sanchez.
Caregivers Retreat
A free, full-day retreat designed to support family caregivers through education, wellness activities, and community resources. Sessions include self-care strategies, caregiver tools, and connection with support services. For more information, please contact Joshua Arnold.
Aging to Perfection Dyer Lecture Series
A public lecture series honoring Carmel Dyer, MD, featuring nationally recognized speakers on longevity, elder justice, and healthy aging. Open to the public, professionals, and trainees. For more information, please contact Angelica Sanchez.
Ongoing Programs
Social Connections Program
The Linking Individuals through Valued Engagement (LIVE) elective is a Bluebook course within our Social Connections Program. Medical students enroll as an extracurricular learning experience, to engage in weekly phone calls with socially isolated older adults. Through LIVE, students gain skills in empathy-based communication and psychosocial assessment while the program simultaneously reduces loneliness, strengthens connections, and links older adults to needed resources in the community.
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Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Institute (TEAM Collaboratory)
The TEAM Collaboratory is a nationally recognized, interdisciplinary program focused on preventing, identifying, and addressing elder mistreatment. Through specialized clinics, community partnerships, education, and research, TEAM works to protect vulnerable older adults, support caregivers and professionals, and advance elder justice across Houston and beyond.
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Research & Community Participation
We invite older adults, caregivers, and community partners to participate in research that drives age-friendly care and advances innovations in geriatric and palliative care. Our studies focus on real-world challenges, such as dementia care, social isolation, osteoporosis and fracture prevention, and elder mistreatment, with the goal of translating findings into better care, policies, and community resources.
Contact Us
To learn more or explore partnership opportunities with the Houston community and beyond, please visit our Contact Us page.