Hearing Loss and its Effect on Healthy Aging
Hearing loss is a very common, yet under-diagnosed, concern facing older adults and their caregivers. In this session, Dr. Byerly will discuss the prevalence of hearing loss, its common and less common risk factors and causes, and the reasons why hearing loss can impact brain health and well-being. She will outline the evidence for intervening on hearing loss and the impact that improved hearing can have on chronic conditions. She will review pearls about hearing assistive devices. Her goal is for attendees to feel empowered to speak with their clients, patients, loved ones, and providers about hearing loss and available intervention options.

Biography
Laura K. Byerly is a clinician educator and geriatrician at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in the Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics. Dr. Byerly received her medical degree from OHSU, completed internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed geriatric medicine and health professions education fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco and San Francisco VA Medical Center. She cares for older adults in OHSU’s Internal Medicine Clinic and affiliated post-acute and long-term care facilities. Dr. Byerly focuses on age-friendly education for health professions trainees and primary care teams, particularly in rural and underserved settings. As the program director for the HRSA-supported Oregon Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), she drives initiatives to train and improve Oregon’s workforce for holistic, interprofessional care in tribal, underserved, and rural communities.

Community Health Workers Improving Primary Care for Older Adults in Rural Oregon
Connected Care for Older Adults is an innovative program that uses Community Health Workers in Primary Care settings to improve care for frail older adults in rural areas. When a patient enrolls in Connected Care, a CHW visits them at home and implements the Connected Care Protocols based on the 4Ms of Age-Friendly Health Systems – What Matters, Medication, Mobility, and Mentation. CHWs help patients identify health related goals, provide information and education, system navigation, patient advocacy, and connect patients with resources in the community.

This session will provide quantitative data and anecdotal findings about the power of this model to improve primary care services and outcomes for at-risk older adult patients in rural areas. Rural clinics interested in implementing Connected Care will learn about opportunities to participate in the statewide expansion of this exciting program.

Biography
Kristina is an Older Adult Community Health Worker (CHW) at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, OR and is currently obtaining a Master’s degree in Gerontology from LSU. She worked for over 10 years as a mental health case manager, and has extensive experience in program design, case management, housing assistance, and substance use treatment. Kristina is the first CHW at Columbia Memorial and has grown the Connected Care program there to serve over 60 patients in the past 2 years. She was awarded two $10,000 dollar grants meant to focus on improving her patients’ lives outside of the clinic. She set up the 1st annual Aging Well Health Fair in 2025 and started a volunteer program for high school students working with older adults called Seniors for Seniors. Kristina is very passionate about Social Gerontology and helping to educate her community on ageism.

Community Health Workers Improving Primary Care for Older Adults in Rural Oregon
Connected Care for Older Adults is an innovative program that uses Community Health Workers in Primary Care settings to improve care for frail older adults in rural areas. When a patient enrolls in Connected Care, a CHW visits them at home and implements the Connected Care Protocols based on the 4Ms of Age-Friendly Health Systems – What Matters, Medication, Mobility, and Mentation. CHWs help patients identify health related goals, provide information and education, system navigation, patient advocacy, and connect patients with resources in the community.

This session will provide quantitative data and anecdotal findings about the power of this model to improve primary care services and outcomes for at-risk older adult patients in rural areas. Rural clinics interested in implementing Connected Care will learn about opportunities to participate in the statewide expansion of this exciting program.

Biography
Lindsay Miller is an independent strategy and organizational development consultant and serves as the Program Director for the Connected Care for Older Adults Pilot at the Columbia Gorge Health Council. Lindsay has supported the project since 2017, when she facilitated a year-long community-engaged feasibility and planning process to explore the needs of older adult patients and providers in the region. She convened a 12-member multidisciplinary team to develop the Connected Care Protocols, and now supports the statewide implementation of Connected Care in rural clinics across Oregon. Lindsay is experienced in strategic and business planning for nonprofits and multi-stakeholder collaborative design and facilitation. She holds BS and BA degrees from the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College and an MBA with distinction from Oxford University where she attended as a Skoll Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship.