UTMB is conducting a new clinical trial to study how to help elderly patients who have been hospitalized get better and stronger upon their return home. The elderly are more prone to being adversely affected by a stay in the hospital than younger patients. Whereas young patients tend to keep getting better after being released, the same is not true for most older patients. Being confined to a hospital bed can lead to a cascading onset of problems due to weakness. Loss of physical functions can result in secondary illness, injury and rehospitalization. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in October 2012, hospitals are now penalized by Medicare and Medicaid if they have too large a percentage of hospital readmissions within 30 days after initial discharge. “We are trying to break the cycle of rehospitalization,” said Rachel Deer, the post-doctoral fellow running the clinical trial. “By using different intervention strategies we can help the elderly population recover from their hospital stay more quickly.” [Note: Paid subscription required. Contact UTMB Media Relations for details.]