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Livestreamed Session
Livestreamed Session

PT&RT
Session Type: Symposium

S04--Growing Up is Getting Old

Thursday, October 23, 2025
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM PDT
Location:431-432

As the life expectancy of individuals with CF continues to rise, the clinical landscape is rapidly shifting to meet the complex needs of an aging population. This multidisciplinary symposium will explore how age-related changes impact pulmonary function, musculoskeletal health, and psychosocial well-being. Emerging challenges such as sarcopenia, joint pain, and functional mobility will be addressed. This session will cover the nuanced management of advanced lung disease and non-invasive ventilation strategies tailored for aging lungs. The psychosocial burden of aging with a chronic illness will also be highlighted, including identity shifts, comorbid anxiety and depression, and end-of-life planning. One of the session's featured speakers is a woman living with CF who will share her personal journey as she grows older, offering a powerful perspective on navigating age-related challenges.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the evolving physical and respiratory therapy needs of aging individuals with cystic fibrosis, including strategies for addressing musculoskeletal decline, reduced exercise tolerance, and age-related pulmonary complications.
  • Describe evidence-based approaches to supporting the mental health of adults with CF, with a focus on managing chronic illness-related anxiety, depression, and life transitions such as employment, relationships, and end-of-life planning.
  • Integrate evidence-based care strategies that promote functional independence, optimize lung function, and enhance emotional well-being to support quality of life in the aging CF population.

Presentations:

  • 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM PDT
    S04.1- Breathing Through the Years: CF and the Aging Lung

    Speaker: Gemma Stanford, PhD, B.Sc. Physiotherapy – Royal Brompton Hospital, Guys and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust and NHLI, Imperial College, London

  • 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM PDT
    S04.2- Acquiring the Mental Health Tools to Age Gracefully with CF

    Speaker: Thomas E. Skeeter, III, MS LCPC NCC – Johns Hopkins Hospital

  • 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM PDT
    S04.3- Built to Last: Supporting Function in the Aging CF Population

    Speaker: Valerie Mumper, DPT, CCS – University of Southern California

  • 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM PDT
    S04.4- Loving Life - Breathlessly

    Community Speaker: Daniela Pulcini Aulie, CF Patient – John's Hopkins CF Clinic