News & Highlights
WIN A STEP UP Finalist For Rosalynn Carter Award
The UNC Institute on Aging is proud to announce that the WIN A STEP UP program, a partnership between the IOA and the NC Department of Health and Human Services, was selected as one of two finalists for the 2007 Rosalynn Carter Caregiving award. The award recognizes leadership in implementing innovative and creative partnerships between community organizations and caregiving researchers. WIN A STEP UP educates and supports career nurses aides and frontline supervisors working in nursing homes throughout the state. Read more...
DeFriese Awards Nominations Open
The UNC Institute on Aging is currently accepting nominations for the 2007-2008 Gordon H. DeFriese Career Development in Aging Research Awards until December 17, 2007. The awards are given to one junior faculty/staff member and one doctoral student from UNC Chapel Hill who demonstrate outstanding promise and a commitment to aging research. Get more information on the awards and download nomination materials from the DeFriese Awards page.
Aging Research Retreat Draws Over 115
Over 115 leading researchers in aging at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gathered on October 29th, 2007 in a retreat to discuss the depth, breadth, interdisciplinary linkages,
and future direction of the University’s on-campus aging research.
The retreat was organized by the Institute on Aging and the Center for Aging and Health, at the request of Tony Waldrop, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Economic Development.
Read more...
In Memoriam: Florence Soltys
Well-known educator and aging advocate Florence Soltys, recently retired from the UNC Schools of Nursing, Social Work and Medicine, died on September 27, 2007 at the age of 72. In addition to her lifetime of accomplishments in academia, she was also responsible for such community projects as the founding of Meals on Wheels in Orange County. Read more...
In Memoriam: Elizabeth Clipp
Elizabeth "Jody" Clipp, formerly Associate Dean for Research Affairs for the Duke University School of Nursing, passed away in August. She was a recipient of many awards at Duke for her research and contributions to nursing.
Good News For NC Colleagues
Eleni Tzima, UNC School of Medicine Assistant Professor of cell and molecular physiology, has been named a 2007 Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar, for her research in blood flow in cardiovascular disease, primarily in the elderly.
The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, based at UNC Asheville, has been selected to participate in the International Forum on Promotion and Practice of Elder Education in Taipei from October 20-21.
Quoting The Experts
IOA Senior Research Scientist Carol Giuliani and Research Scientist Tiffany Shubert were quoted in an article in the News & Observer on October 8, 2007. Titled "An Exercise In Utility," the article profiles the falls prevention screening program at the Chapel Hill Senior Center.
Call for Papers: 2008 Priester National Extension Health Conference
The 2008 Priester National Extension Health Conference is scheduled for April 8-10, 2008 in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. The theme, Building Healthy Communities, One Person at a Time, includes a successful aging track. The call for presentations submission deadline is November 30, 2007.
November Aging Observances
November highlights the following aging-related events and weeks: National Family Caregiver Month, National Memory Screening Day on November 13, and Long Term Care Awareness Week, November 4-10.
Featured Web Site
An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease
www.chronicdiseaseimpact.com/
On this web site and in the report of the same title, the Milken Institute details the enormous financial impact of chronic
disease on the U.S. economy. It also projects the financial savings to be realized through serious efforts to improve the overall health of the American population. The site includes a map ranking the 50 states by rates of chronic disease, fact sheets on the U.S. and each state, extensive statistics by disease, and graphic illustrations of the intergenerational impacts of chronic disease.
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.
Immigration and the elderly: foreign-born workers in long-term care
view the record
Managerial attitudes toward older workers: a review of the evidence
view the record
Promoting work: implications of raising Social Security's retirement age
view the record
Quantifying frequency and variety of activities in older adults
view the record
New & Notable
Abbott, Katherine Harris; Stoller, Eleanor Palo; Rose, Julia Hannum. (2007). The structure and function of frail male veterans' informal networks. Journal of Aging and Health 19(5): 757-77.
Chen, Cory K.; Sabir, Myra; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Suitor, Jill; Pillemer, Karl. (2007). The importance of family relationships with nursing facility staff for family caregiver burden and depression. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences 62B(5): P253-P260.
Horowitz, B.; Coppola, S. (2007). Building community partnerships to support aging societies. World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin 55: 44-9.
Morgan, Jennifer Craft; Haviland, Sara B.; Woodside, M. Allyson; Konrad, Thomas R. (2007). Fostering supportive learning environments in long-term care: the case of WIN A STEP UP. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education 28(2): 55-75.
Rikard, R. V.; Rosenberg, E. (2007). Aging inmates: A convergence of trends in the American criminal justice system. Journal of Correctional Health Care 13(3): 150-62.
Stearns, Sally; Park, Jeongyoung; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Gruber-Baldini, Ann L.; Konrad, Thomas R.; Sloane, Philip D. (2007). Determinants and effects of nurse staffing intensity and skill mix in residential care/assisted living settings. The Gerontologist 47(5): 662-71.
For a list of items recently published by North Carolina faculty, see New & Notable Publications.
Aging & Health Promotion News
NC DAAS and partners to empower elders to take control of health. Through a 3 year grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging, the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services, the Division of Public Health, and over half a dozen partner agencies and groups will implement and sustain the Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), to reduce the risk of disease and disability among North Carolina's senior citizens. Evidence-Based Programs like CDSMP are based on scientific studies published in peer-reviewed journals. In North Carolina, the CDSMP will be provided by lay-leaders and offered in 46 counties statewide, targeting low-income, minority, and/or rural older adults experiencing chronic health conditions. The evaluation advisory committee for the program consists of UNC Chapel Hill scholars Dr. Mary Altpeter, IOA Associate Director for Program Development, Dr. Alice Ammerman, Director of the Health Promotion Disease Prevention Center, Dr. Jean Goeppinger of the School of Nursing, and Dr. Pam Haines of the School of Public Health Department of Nutrition. Read more...
Upcoming Events In NC
November 27, 2007
IOA Seminar Series
Spirituality, Aging and Health
Gracie Boswell, PhD,
Research Scientist, Institute on Aging
10:30 am - Noon, Institute on Aging 2nd floor conference room, 720 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, NC
Save The Dates
December 3, 2007
Aging Workforce Interest Group
What's Happening with Workforce Planning in
North Carolina Local Governments?
Willow Jacobson, PhD, School of Government
Noon to 2:00 pm, IOA 2nd Floor Conference Room, 720 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
RSVP to Diane Wurzinger at 919-843-2647 or diane_wurzinger@unc.edu
December 4, 2007 IOA Seminar Series
The Graying of America--Implications for
Hospice and Palliative Care in the 21st Century
Richard Payne, Professor of Medicine and Divinity
Esther Colliflower, Director,
Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life
Duke University Divinity School
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.