I am writing this introduction for this issue because I was the one that convinced Wendy James, PT, the managing editor, to pursue this new format. To give you some background on how we got here, I need to share with you a part of my educational enhancement endeavors. For many years, I have been a fortunate member of the Rheumatological Society of the District of Columbia. The group is made up of attendings, fellows, residents, and practitioners. We meet monthly from September to May. Each month we have fascinating speakers from all over the world who present topics ranging from "The Latest in Imaging" to "Polypharmacy." The last presentation occurring in May is always the Thieves Market. This is where practitioners to fellows present their work, from research to topical synthesis, and what follows is a robust and thought-provoking discussion of these works.
The reason that this meeting is called the Thieves Market has never been explained to me, so I went to the Internet to gather information on this. What I found is that a Thieves Market is where people bring some of their borrowed or owned treasures of all different types for others to admire, critique, and adopt as their own. I think that is a wonderful concept: to bring together articles from all over the world on a huge variety of topics and have others involved in dissecting, inspecting, scrutinizing, and appreciating the finished product.
This issue has articles from Brazil to India on topics ranging from Parkinson disease to knee pain and from caregiver instruction to exercise intervention. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation has always been topical. This is our first attempt at an issue with random articles. It seems, after 31 years, it is a good idea to try something different. We would love to get your feedback. Let us know if you like this format and exchange of information. If we get positive responses, we will attempt to have a Thieves Market again in the future. Our vision is to promote and share new ideas in the area of geriatric rehabilitation and our hope is that this issue does just that.
-Carole B. Lewis, PhD, DPT, PT, GCS, GTC, CCOEE, MPA, MSG, FAPTA
Editor-in-Chief