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COVID-19 has had a disproportionate and devastating impact on older adults. As health care resources suddenly shifted to emergency response planning, many health and community support services were cancelled, postponed, or shifted to virtual care. This rapid transformation of geriatric care resulted in an immediate need for practical guidance on decision making, planning and delivery of virtual care for older adults and caregivers. This article outlines the rapid co-design process that supported the development of a guidance document intended to support health and community support services providers. Data were collected through consultation sessions, surveys, and a rapid literature review, and analyzed using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods. Although this work took place within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting resources and lessons learned related to collective impact, co-design, population-based planning, and digital technologies can be applied more broadly.

IntroductionIn the South West (SW) region, there were a number of programs and initiatives focused on providing care for older adults at risk of/with frailty. Due to different funding streams, sectors and disease specific initiatives; the capacity to coordinate these efforts has been limited. This resulted in a disjointed experience of care for older adults with frailty and their caregivers, as they navigate a complex system. Through the regionally coordinated approach of the SW Frail Senior Strategy, the resources of the combined initiatives and programs are being leveraged to build an integrated, equitable. high quality system of careAims Objectives Theory or MethodsIn the place of multiple committees supporting separate initiatives, one regional steering committee was formed using a cross sector, cross regional matrix for proper representation, including older adults and caregivers. A regional team was hired to provide backbone support.Building on discovery research, the regional team co-designed with communities across the region to validate evidence-based recommendations, understand current state and identify change ideas.Solutions generated were sorted and grouped to inform the development of five strategic priorities for 2019-2022. Implementation of these priorities has included expansion of the governance structure to include regional advisories and local design and implementation groups.Highlights or Results or Key FindingsThe 5 priorities of the Strategy include local and regional system redesign, planning and evaluation, education, advocacy, and communication/access to information.By sunsetting the various committee of related initiatives, and replacing with one structure with cross-sectoral and cross-regional representation, the Strategy has been effective in supporting alignment across primary care, specialized care, community support services and local communities. To extend alignment locally and to support best-practice standardization, with local contextualization, the governance structure now includes regional advisory committees and local design and implementation groups.With the regional scope and focus of this work requiring high levels of community engagement, the use of a collective impact framework, including backbone support provided by a dedicated team, and the employment of co-design and quality improvement tools and approaches has been instrumental in engaging providers and community members in all aspects of planning and implementation.ConclusionsThe SW Frail Senior Strategy provides a structure through which all initiatives with a focus on frail older adults can be reviewed for alignment with regional priorities – as identified through co-design - and strategically coordinated to optimize the creation of a more integrated and efficient system of care.Implications for applicability/transferability sustainability and limitationsBest practice geriatric care requires system coordination and integration and collaboration across sectors. The regional collective impact approach employed by the SW Frail Senior Strategy will be of high interest to others who are interested in undertaking this work with a diverse population, urban/rural mix, and variable resources.

IntroductionThe South West Frail Senior Strategy is improving care for older adults and caregivers in Southwestern Ontario. Through literature review, clinical expert interviews, and broad engagement of providers, older adults, and caregivers, processes to proactively identify frailty and intervene and guidelines for access to specialty geriatric physicians were identified as needs. Despite the evidence to support proactive identification and intervention, there is little guidance in the literature in outlining determinants of access to geriatric physicians. Through the development of these processes and guidelines, decision making across the region will be more standardized to support equitable and evidence-based care.Aims Objectives Theory or MethodsThe South West Frail Senior Strategy is improving care for older adults and caregivers in Southwestern Ontario. Through literature review, clinical expert interviews, and broad engagement of providers, older adults, and caregivers, processes to proactively identify frailty and intervene and guidelines for access to specialty geriatric physicians were identified as needs. Despite the evidence to support proactive identification and intervention, there is little guidance in the literature in outlining determinants of access to geriatric physicians. Through the development of these processes and guidelines, decision making across the region will be more standardized to support equitable and evidence-based care.Highlights or Results or Key FindingsIn alignment with the literature, frailty is not well recognized in its earlier stages by primary care providers across the region. To support proactive identification, they are identifying a need for tools/resources to be built in their daily processes and Electronic Medical Record with a range of options to suit their setting. Additionally, for those older adults with no primary care support, processes also need to be tailored for acute care hospitals and their emergency departments.As there is little literature on guidelines for accessing geriatric physicians, experience and expert opinion have primarily informed the creation of these guidelines. The guidelines include: determinants of access, considerations for rural/urban settings and local resources, and conditions for consulting in-person versus leveraging technology.Together, these process for primary care and guidelines to access specialty geriatric physicians will provide a more coordinated and standardized approach to ensure equity and best practice across the region.ConclusionsThe development of standardized processes and guidelines that reflect and consider the unique needs/resources across the region will support older adults with frailty and their caregivers in receiving the right care, in the right place, and at the right time.Implications for applicability/transferability sustainability and limitationsThese processes and guidelines will assist other regions in their pursuit of developing a system of integrated care that will serve older adults living with frailty and their caregivers. Considerations for urban/rural settings, variety of primary care settings, as well as the use of technology will have broad applicability.

Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are economically significant pests of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), damaging the marketable portion of the crop by feeding and tunneling into tubers. While conventional potato growers use the few registered synthetic insecticides to control wireworms, certified organic growers are left with less options due to the limited effectiveness of the available insecticides. Biologically derived pesticides provide an additional alternative for both systems. Certain gram-negative proteobacteria, such as Burkholderia spp., possess insecticidal compounds. However, very little is known about their efficacy on wireworms. From 2018 to 2021, we conducted experiments in Virginia to assess the efficacy of a Burkholderia spp.-based commercial pesticide, Majestene, as a wireworm control in potatoes. In a lab experiment, soil drench application of this insecticide at a rate of 66 g a.i. per 1 liter resulted in 30% wireworm mortality and significantly reduced wireworm feeding damage on potato tubers. In the field, in-furrow applications of Burkholderia spp. at a rate of 17.66 kg a.i. per ha significantly reduced wireworm damage to tubers in 2 of 7 field experiments conducted. By comparison, the commercial standard insecticide, bifenthrin, significantly reduced tuber damage in 3 of the 7 field experiments. Our study demonstrates the prospect for proteobacteria-derived insecticides for control of wireworms and potentially other soil-dwelling insects. In conclusion, findings present growers with another option to combat wireworm pressure, especially in organic systems.

The squash bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer), is a serious pest of cucurbit crops across the United States, especially within summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) systems. Using their piercing sucking mouthparts, squash bugs feed on both leaf tissue and fruits, often leading to leaf necrosis, marketable fruit loss, and even plant death. To date, the relationship between squash bug presence and plasticulture has not been adequately investigated. This 2-yr study evaluated the effects of white, black, and reflective plastic mulch colors on the occurrence of all squash bug life stages and marketable zucchini yield in Virginia. In both years, A. tristis adults and egg masses were more numerous on zucchini plants grown in white and reflective plastic mulch compared to bare ground plants. Greater nymphal densities and marketable fruit yield were observed in certain plastic mulch treatments versus the bare ground treatment, yet these differences were not consistent in both years. Contrary to the repellency effects reflective mulches have on other cucurbit insect pests, our research suggests that reflective and other plastic mulch colors can negatively impact squash bug management, especially in regions with high A. tristis pressure. Our study offers new insights for cucurbit growers to use when considering whether they should implement plasticulture in their growing systems.

IntroductionThe South West Frail Senior Strategy (SWFSS) is improving care for older adults and caregivers in Southwestern Ontario. Through literature review, clinical expert interviews, and engagement with over 500 providers, older adults, and caregivers, a priority that was identified was to integrate geriatric mental health and medicine providers into local cross-sectoral teams. These teams would have local coordinated intake and access processes and have agreements in place across organizations to support collaboration. Through local co-design, the aim of this work is improve access, outcomes and the experience of the health care system for older adults with frailty and their caregivers.Aims Objectives Theory or MethodsThe South West Frail Senior Strategy (SWFSS) is improving care for older adults and caregivers in Southwestern Ontario. Through literature review, clinical expert interviews, and engagement with over 500 providers, older adults, and caregivers, a priority that was identified was to integrate geriatric mental health and medicine providers into local cross-sectoral teams. These teams would have local coordinated intake and access processes and have agreements in place across organizations to support collaboration. Through local co-design, the aim of this work is improve access, outcomes and the experience of the health care system for older adults with frailty and their caregivers.Highlights or Results or Key FindingsThe local cross-sectoral team make-up across the region were similar with respect that they involved Alzheimer Society, Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Psychiatry providers, however, varied in size, disciplines, employers, and level of integration. Preliminary data with the onset of these teams were collected.The membership of the work groups to build these teams varied across the region based on existing partnerships, local priorities, and available resources. However, across all working groups it was critical to establish links with local priorities and the regional Steering Committee to ensure communication and alignment.Challenges of this work include being adaptable to local priorities and securing commitment to prioritize system-level change alongside daily clinical commitments.Next steps include complete implementation of collaboration agreements and coordinated intake and access processes.ConclusionsBy locally co-designing these integrated cross-sectoral teams within a regional strategy, the aim is for a more standardized approach to accessing specialty geriatric services. We anticipate improved outcomes and experiences for older adults and their caregivers, decrease in health care utilization costs, as well as increased provider satisfaction.Implications for applicability/transferability sustainability and limitationsDespite variations in resources, it has been found that there is significant value in learning and sharing across the different regions. The approach of local co-design in order to integrate specialized geriatric care in the community across urban and rural geographies has high applicability for others.

The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. Native to China, this phloem-feeding planthopper threatens agricultural, ornamental, nursery, and timber industries in its invaded range through quarantine restrictions on shipments, as well as impacts on plants themselves. The long-term impacts of L. delicatula feeding on tree species have not been well studied in North America. Using standard dendrochronological methods on cores taken from trees with differing levels of L. delicatula infestation and systemic insecticidal control, we quantified the impact of L. delicatula feeding on the annual growth of four tree species in Pennsylvania: Ailanthus altissima, Juglans nigra, Liriodendron tulipifera , and Acer rubrum . The results suggest that L. delicatula feeding is associated with the diminished growth of A. altissima , but no change was observed in any other tree species tested. The results also suggest that systemic insecticides mitigate the impact of L. delicatula feeding on A. altissima growth.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive pest introduced to North America in the mid-1990's that has caused economic losses to a wide range of commodities. In vegetables, H. halys feeding damage has been well described, but the effect of different vegetable hosts on H. halys fitness is less understood. We caged 2nd instar H. halys on different vegetable hosts (e.g., tomato, sweet corn, eggplant, bell pepper, and snap bean) and monitored their development until adulthood to compare the effects of vegetable host type on H. halys nymph survival and development time. Experiments were replicated nine times over a two-year period. Survival of 2nd instars from F1 generation (early-season) eggs was low (<30%) on all vegetables resulting in no significant treatment effect. However, H. halys nymphs collected from F2 generation (late-season) eggs had higher survivorship on all vegetables except tomato. The percentage of H. halys 2nd instars that reached adulthood was greatest on corn (53%) and pepper (45%), followed by snap bean (24%), and significantly lower on eggplant (9%) and tomato (2%). Total development time from 2nd instar to adult was fastest on corn and slowest on peppers, although tomatoes were not tested due to the low survival. Trends in development rate were not seasonally-dependent. Our study compares H. halys survivability on several vegetable commodities, and provides insights into H. halys developmental success and dependence on various host plants over the season.