News & Highlights
New Deadline for Aging Exchange Papers/Posters!
January 13, 2006 is the new deadline for graduate students, postdoctoral and clinical fellows to submit papers and posters for the Third Annual Aging Exchange: Education, Research and Service at the UNC at Chapel Hill Campus. The event will be held on January 24, 2006 from 1:00 to 7:00 pm at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. Dr. Robert H. Binstock, Professor of Aging, Health and Society at Case Western Reserve University, will present the distinguished lecture, 'Anti-Aging Medicine and Science: an Arena of Conflict and Profound Societal Implications'. This event is free and open to the public, however, an RSVP to 966-9444 is required by 1/17/06 . See the Aging Exchange web page for more information.
UNC-CH Alzheimer's Researchers Publish Findings
In 2000, the National Alzheimer's Association funded Drs. Sheryl Zimmerman, Philip Sloane, Christianna Williams, and John Preisser (UNC-CH Sheps Center for Health Services Research) to study components of care and quality of life for persons with dementia in residential care/assisted living settings and nursing homes, intending to obtain information to develop evidence-based practice recommendations and guide policy. The Association has stated that,"the study findings exceeded our expectations," and have used this information as a foundation of their nationwide Campaign for Quality Residential Care, which is detailed in the Association's Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Assisted Living Residences and Nursing Homes. Further attesting to the importance of this work, a special issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, Special Issue I) highlights twelve manuscripts based on the project. In addition to Drs. Zimmerman, Sloane, Williams, and Preisser, UNC-CH authors include Drs. Debra Dobbs, Sharon Williams, Gary Winzelberg, Lea Watson, and Ms. Jean Munn. Dr. Williams and Ms. Munn are the newest Gordon H. DeFriese Career Development in Aging Research Award winners. Former CPHAR fellow Dr. Peter Reed was project coordinator of the study, and also an author on many of the manuscripts. He is now a lead of the Alzheimer's Association's campaign.
Dee Hatch New NC AARP President
Diana "Dee" Hatch has been appointed President of AARP North Carolina effective January 1, 2006. Dee was a past participant in the Senior Leadership Initiative, a program initially created by the Duke Long Term Care Resources Program and now administered by the UNC Institute on Aging. As a part of her leadership project Dee studied the various organizations in North Carolina advocating for the aging. Read more...
Good News for NC Colleagues
Mary Altpeter, IOA Associate Director for Program Development, has been appointed to the National Research Mentor Roster of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and administered by the Gerontological Society of America. This program was established to enhance the effectiveness of faculty scholars as academic leaders, role models and mentors. The mentors are paired with scholars to assist with individualized research professional development in social work. Dr. Altpeter has also been appointed to the expert panel on Community Health Promotion of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its purpose is to identify gaps in the field of community health promotion, to outline relevant and cutting edge initiatives in community health promotion and to prioritize specific recommendations for community health promotion activities to be undertaken by the NCCDPHP in the next 3 to five years.
NC Roots of Gerontology Highlighted
In the new book, Enduring Questions in Gerontology (New York: Springer, 2006), edited by Debra J. Sheets, Dana Burr Bradley and Jon Hendricks, Duke Professor Emeritus of Medical Sociology and distinguished gerontologist George L. Maddox explores the development of the field of gerontology in a North Carolina context. His prologue to the volume is titled, "Finding new beacons: Searching for timeless and interdisciplinary perspectives."
Featured Web Site
Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College
http://agingandwork.bc.edu/
The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College is a unique research center that focuses
on aging and work, in partnership with workplace decision-makers, to design and implement rigorous research
that will help American businesses prepare for the opportunities and challenges associated with the aging workforce.
The Center's web site features publications, summaries of ongoing research, and a monthly survey question.
New Library Resources
These are selected new additions to the AgeLib Digital Library. The links below will open a new window displaying the AgeLib record.
2005 NC women's health report card
view the record
Enduring questions in gerontology
view the record
Health promotion for older adults: what is the potential?
view the record
Social integration of older immigrants in 21st century America
view the record
New & Notable
Dannefer, Dale; Uhlenberg, Peter; Foner, Anne; Abeles, Ronald P. (2005). On the shoulders of a giant: The legacy of Matilda White Riley for gerontology. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 60B(6): S296-S304.
Konrad, Thomas R.; Howard, Daniel L.; Edwards, Lloyd J.; Ivanova, Anastasia; Carey, Timothy S. (2005). Physician-patient racial concordance, continuity of care, and patterns of care for hyptertension. American Journal of Public Health 95(12): 2186-2190.
Longino, Charles F., Jr.(2005). The future of ageism: Baby Boomers at the doorstep. Generations 29(3): 79-83.
Longino, Charles F., Jr. (2005). Farewell editorial. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 60B(6): S295.
Williams, Ishan C. (2005). Emotional health of black and white dementia caregivers: A contextual examination. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences 60B(6): P287-P295.
For a list of items recently published by North Carolina faculty, see New & Notable Publications.
Aging & Health Promotion News
CDC e-journal features article about HAN community study. Mary Altpeter and Victor Marshall are listed as members of the writing group which produced the Community Case Study, "The Prevention Research Centers Healthy Aging Research Network," in the online journal Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice and Policy (Volume 3: No. 1, January 2006).
Homemeds.org links to 2 programs on evidence-based medication management for seniors. The US Administration on Aging and the Partners in Care Foundation offer information through the homemeds.org site about community-based medication management intervention for seniors. A free toolkit is available to assist agencies in implementing the pre-tested Home Health Medication Management Model.
Study outcomes available for IMPACT depression care trial. Information about IMPACT (Improving Mood: Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment) for late-life depression can be found at a web site offering research results in poster, slide and bibliographic formats. In addition, profiles of organizations implementing the program are offered.
Senior Wellness Project renamed Project Enhance. The former Senior Wellness Project is now Project Enhance, offering the EnhanceFitness and EnhanceWellness components. These evidence-based programs have been implemented at over 80 sites nationally, typically in senior centers, hospitals, assisted living facilities and continuing care retirement communities.
Web-based tools and programs for senior driver safety. The DriveWell Toolkit developed by the American Society on Aging and funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a stand-alone, turn-key program on older driver safety and mobility. The Driving Decisions Workbook is an extensive questionnaire for older drivers to self-evaluate in determining their need to modify driving habits in response to age-related issues.
Upcoming Events in NC
January 24, 2006 Third Annual Aging Exchange:
Education, Research and Service at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1:00-7:00 p.m., Friday Center for Continuing Education, Chapel Hill, NC
Deadlines: paper/poster submissions- 1/13/06; RSVP- 1/17/06
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