News & Highlights
Campus-Wide Research Retreat In Aging
If you are interested in aging research at UNC Chapel Hill, register now for a campus-wide retreat on aging, to be held Monday, October 29, 2007. The retreat will be introduced by Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, and include presentations about existing research and research opportunities and constraints. The retreat will be broadly interdisciplinary and search for ways in which to enhance aging research efforts. More information is available on the Aging Research Retreat web page .
2007 NCCOA A Success!
The 2007 North Carolina Conference on Aging theme, "Today, Tomorrow, Together", brought together over 550 participants in Winston-Salem.
Linda S. Noelker, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Planning and Organizational Resources at the Benjamin Rose Institute, Bonnie M. Cramer, MSW, AARP National Board Member, and Kenneth F. Ferraro, Ph.D., Director of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University, provided the plenary luncheon and closing presentations to complement workshops, paper sessions, and symposia. Final program and presentation files will soon be available to download. Any participant with photos to share or a presentation file to add may contact aginginfo@unc.edu.
Awards:
The NC Division of Aging and Adult Services presented the 2007 Ewald W. Busse, George L. Maddox and Ernest B. Messer awards to, respectively, Dr. Eleanor (Ellie) McConnell, Ms. Alice Keane, and the H.L. McCrorey Family YMCA. At the October 11th awards luncheon, The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service was given to Ms. Doris Dick, the NC Senior Consumer Fraud Task Force Public Sector Award was given to Detective Craig Bredenbeck and Sergeant Craig Springer, Co-Leaders of the Cape Fear Elder Abuse Prevention Network, and the NC Senior Consumer Fraud Task Force Private Sector Award was given to Leigh Brady and Sara Trexler of the NC State Employees Credit Union.
Revised IOA Seminar Schedule Completed
The schedule of IOA and ECRA seminars for this semester has been set and can be viewed or downloaded from the IOA web site.
News From IOA Aging Workforce Initiatives
The IOA staff has been engaged in important activities focusing on the aging workforce. Among these projects are: Win a Step Up and Jobs to Careers, focusing on the workforce providing direct care to seniors; WANE (Workforce Aging in the New Economy), with 40 case studies of aging issues in IT work in the USA, Canada, Australia and the European Union; WILIS and WILIS 2, (Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science), and seminars on various aging workforce issues. In addition, the IOA Information Center archives Issues of Aging Workforce Data for case studies of large firms in Canada and the USA, and its open subscription PubAlerts service provides current awareness on aging and work. Peter Stein, the new Assistant Director-Aging Workforce Initiatives, will convene the first meeting of the new Workforce Aging Interest Group on Thursday, October 18, 2007 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Institute. This will be both an organizational meeting and a seminar in which Victor Marshall will present an overview of "Aging Workforce Issues". The group will be a rejuvenation of the program on older workers and retirement which has been inactive for several years. A light lunch will be provided; please RSVP to Peter by email or to 919-966-6818. The group will also have a new web page, coming soon.
School Of Nursing Events For Gerontological Nurses Week
The UNC School of Nursing will highlight National Gerontological Nurses Week, Oct. 1-8, 2007, to focus on research and treatment needs. Events will include a Grand Rounds forum on October 3 from Noon to 1 pm on incontinence and older adults with Diane K. Newman, RNC, MSN, CRNP, FAAN, co-director of the Penn Center for Continence and Pelvic Health at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Space is limited to 150 people, and a complimentary lunch will be provided. The public is also invited to other events during the week, including a tour of Carolina Meadows, faculty and student poster sessions, movie screenings and discussions of absorbent products. For more information contact Norma Hawthorne, (919) 966-4619.
CGEC Receives Funding
Effective September 1, new three-year funding from the Bureau of Health Professions will enable the Carolina Geriatric Education Center to address critical issues relative to the health of North Carolina’s older adults. Seven topics will receive particular attention: falls prevention and intervention, disaster preparedness; brain health; health literacy; mental health; needs of immigrant elders; and oral health and long-term care. With leadership from the School of Medicine’s Center for Aging and Health, CGEC is a collaborative effort of the health professions schools at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, regional AHEC partners (Wake, Mountain, Charlotte, Northwest, Eastern, and Greensboro), the UNC Institute on Aging, and Piedmont Health Services, Inc., as well as other vital organizations, such as AARP. For more information, contact Rebecca Hunter , M.Ed., Associate Director for Program Development.PubAlerts Service Enhanced
Past issues of PubAlerts have been made available to view on the home page for this service. PubAlerts are a subscription service of the UNC Institute on Aging Information Center, created to help researchers keep up to date in several areas of interest. Each PubAlert lists new journal articles, gray literature, and general news, currently in the areas of health promotion/healthy aging, older workers, and frontline healthcare workers.
Good News For NC Colleagues
Judie Svihula, IOA Research Scientist, will present her paper, Social Security Reform: An Ideologically Structured Social Movement, at the Gerontological Society of America's 60th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco in November.
Professor Peter Uhlenberg, of the UNC at Chapel Hill Department of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, has been named a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.
Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC is the recipient of a $25,000 "Community College Encore Career Grant" for leadership training to support baby boomers interested in careers in the non-profit sector. Civic Ventures, a think tank helping society achieve the greatest return on experience, made the grant.
Quoting The Experts
IOA Research Scientist Tiffany Shubert, PhD, MPT, was interviewed about the role of physical therapy in healthy aging for "In Praise of Age" on Monday, September 3, 2007 on the People's Channel 8, the independent television station in Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Shubert is also a member of the Center for Aging and Health interdisciplinary team, directs the falls risk clinic at the Chapel Hill Seymour Senior Center, and participates actively in healthy aging research at the IOA. Dr. Shubert stressed that all older adults are at risk for a fall, and simple preventive efforts can help. The top two risk factors, leg weakness and difficulty walking, can be improved with strength training and physical therapy. To make an appointment for physical therapy at the Chapel Hill Seymour Senior Center with Dr. Shubert, (referred by doctor or self-referral) call the UNC-CH Physical Therapy office at 919-732-6600. There are also drop in "Ask the PT" sessions available on the second and fourth Friday of the month from 1-3 pm. Call the Seymour Center to sign up.
The UNC Institute on Aging web site was featured in a story on web-based resources for seniors and caregivers in the September 11, 2007 edition of the News & Observer.
IOA Director Victor Marshall was quoted in an article about retiree in-migration to North Carolina in the August 10, 2007, Triangle Business Journal.
IOA Staff Changes
The IOA would like to thank Cathy Hatley for her dedicated service to the Institute on Aging. Cathy accepted a promotion to Office Manager at the Child Medical Evaluation Program, UNC Department of Pediatrics effective 9/3/07. Cathy was a great morale-booster and added a lot of life to the Institute in both of the positions she held, beginning in August 2003 as the Program Assistant. She was promoted to Assistant Business Manager in February 2006. We will miss her greatly.
The IOA would also like to thank our beloved Betty Walters for her service to the IOA. Betty came to UNC after retiring from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. We enjoyed her presence at the Institute from March 2000 to July 2007. Always a very cheerful and hard worker, she performed reception, assisted with accounting, and assisted Diane Wurzinger with our annual statewide conference. We wish Betty much luck in her retirement.
Immunize North Carolina Flu Shot Reminder
ImmunizeNC.com wants to remind seniors of the "Top 6 Reasons to Get Your Flu Shot this Season".
- #1-The flu can be dangerous;
- #2-You can get the shot any time during the flu season;
- #3-You can’t get the flu from the shot;
- #4-Finding a flu shot is simple;
- #5-Medicare pays!;
- #6-Your doctor recommends preventing the flu.
NC DAAS Newsletter
The Summer 2007 edition of the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services newsletter, At A Glance, is now available to view.
Retirement Lifestyles Magazine Honored
Retirement Lifestyles, a magazine with a 10-year publishing history in Charlotte, NC, has received three Mature Market Media Awards from the Mature Market Resource Center of Chicago, in competition with national publications.
September Aging Observances
Along with its designation as Healthy Aging Month, the September calendar also contains Grandparents' Day, National Employ Older Workers Week and Active Aging Week. Visit the designated links for these observances to learn more.
Featured Web Site
TJAAA Disaster Preparedness
www.tjaaa.org/
The Triangle J Area Agency on Aging has devoted a section of its web site to disaster preparedness for seniors.
It contains information to help elders and their families prepare for natural disaster situations in order to have
the best chance to stay safe. For family caregivers, the information provided addresses special considerations
to ensure the safety and well-being of older family members.
This web site and others have been selected for inclusion in AgeLib, the IOA's Digital Library of aging resources. Search AGELIB now.
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.
Aging education in a global context
view the record
Civic engagement and the Baby Boomer generation: research, policy and practice perspectives
view the record
Retirement decisions: federal policies offer mixed signals on when to retire
view the record
World population ageing 2007
view the record
New & Notable
DuBeau, Catherine E.; Ouslander, Joseph G.; Palmer, Mary H. (2007). Knowledge and attitudes of nursing home staff and surveyors about the revised federal guidance for incontinence care. The Gerontologist 47(4): 468-79.
Hart, L. G.; Skillman, S. M.; Hagopian, A.; Fordyce, M.; Thompson, M.; Konrad, T. R. (2007). International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians in the U.S.: Changes since 1981. Health Affairs 26(4): 1159-69.
Marshall, Victor W. (2007). Advancing the sociology of ageism. Social Forces 86(1): 257-264.
For a list of items recently published by North Carolina faculty, see New & Notable Publications.
Aging & Health Promotion News
Raleigh, NC program recognized for best practices in aging in place. The City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department's Senior Adult Program has been recognized for best practices by the Aging in Place Initiative of Partners for Livable Communities and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. The initiative was developed to help America's communities prepare for the aging of their populations. Raleigh's program is one of the most extensive programs of its kind nationwide, offering a variety of sports and recreational activities, day and overnight trips, educational seminars, workshops and volunteer opportunities.
New report on community-based physical activity programs. The Prevention Research Centers Healthy Aging Research Network (PRC-HAN) has published a new report, Moving ahead: strategies and tools to plan, conduct and maintain effective community-based physical activity programs for older adults. The result of a February, 2007 symposium of HAN participants, it highlights some of the best evidence-based programs in physical activity now available, and explores challenges and successful strategies associated with creating flourishing programs in communities across the country.
Upcoming Events In NC
September 25, 2007
IOA Seminar Series
IOA Library and Information Services: How they can assist you
Danielle Borasky, Associate Director for Library and Information Services, IOA, with staff
10:30 am to Noon, IOA 2nd Floor Conference Room, 720 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
Save The Dates
October 1-8, 2007
National Gerontological Nurses Week
October 18, 2007
Aging Workforce Interest Group
Noon to 2:00 pm, IOA 2nd Floor Conference Room, 720 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
October 20, 2007
World Osteoporosis Day
October 29, 2007
Aging Research Retreat
1:00pm - 7:30pm, Bioinformatics Building, UNC-CH
November 1-4, 2007
Women in the Second Half of Life: Spirituality and Community
Wildacres Retreat Center, Little Switzerland, NC
Sponsored by Second Journey
: facilitated by Lisa Anthony (Second Journey) and Jude Thomas, co-founder of Eden Alternative
View our complete events calendar at www.aging.unc.edu/events/.
Community Bulletin Board and Jobs in Aging
Don't forget to check the Community Bulletin Board for other aging-related announcements for seniors, educators, students and professionals. Current listings include research studies in need of subjects. The Jobs in Aging web page lists notices we have received regarding statewide and nationally available positions.Publication of this newsletter is announced via email listserv. Current and past issues may be viewed at any time at http://www.aging.unc.edu/news/newsletter.html . To join one of our lists, please visit www.aging.unc.edu/news/lists.html for more information. If you have information that you would like to include in this newsletter in the future, please send it to aginginfo@unc.edu at any time.