NC Study Commission On Aging Hears From Gerontologists
As part of its examination of the state's preparedness for the aging of the population, the NC Legislative Study Commission on Aging recently received input from gerontology scholars and aging advocates. Its November 15th meeting included a presentation on retirement migration by Jim Mitchell, East Carolina University Professor of Sociology and Family Medicine and Director of the ECU Center on Aging. Victor Marshall, Director of the UNC Institute on Aging, and Mary Bethel of NC AARP were included on a panel to discuss the related issues.
UNC Falls Prevention Research Gaining Media Attention
IOA Research Scientist Tiffany Shubert was quoted in a News & Observer article on December 3, 2008, regarding her research and field testing of the relationship of mental functioning and falls prevention in seniors. IOA Senior Research Scientist Carol Giuliani, who was instrumental in helping Dr. Shubert obtain funding for this research, was also interviewed. The article is called On Balance, Mind Matters. It was later picked up by both the Washington Post and the Miami Herald.
A Note From IOA Director Victor Marshall
My belief in the importance of partnerships has only increased with the current fiscal downturn and the prospect that the Institute on Aging and many of its partners will have fewer resources in the next few years. It has long been my belief that if two or three organizations with few resources work together in a common cause, somehow, magically, the resources seem to expand and good things happen. Fortunately for the Institute, we have over the years worked to develop and sustain a great many partnerships, which I profile in greater detail in this month's column.
NC Medical Journal Features Healthy Aging
Articles by scholars and experts from across a wide spectrum of North Carolina gerontology and aging advocacy offices and programs were featured in the September/October issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal. The theme of this special issue was Healthy Aging in North Carolina. Jan Wassel, Director of the UNC Greensboro Gerontology Program, served as the editor for the theme articles. For a complete list of the articles see the IOA's New & Noteable Research Publications page.
IOA Seminar Series Set For Thursdays In Spring 2009
The IOA Seminar Series for Spring 2009 will be held on Thursday afternoons from 3:00-4:30 pm. The first seminar (speaker TBA) is scheduled for Thursday, January 15.
Support The IOA Through End-Of-Year Giving
As the tax year ends, please consider directing some of your charitable contribution to the Institute on Aging. In the current fiscal crisis the University system as a whole has suffered budget cutbacks and the Institute on Aging shares equally in these, with prospects for more in the year ahead. If you have received a communication from UNC at Chapel Hill requesting donations to the university, you need to specify the Institute as the recipient if desired. More information is available on the IOA web site regarding donating online or by mail.
Creech, Former IOA SAAC Member, Retires
Donna Creech has retired as director of the Johnston County Council on Aging, where she served for 16 years. Her career was featured in an article in the News & Observer on November 21, 2008. Ms. Creech is a former member of the IOA's Statewide Aging Advisory Committee.
UNC-G Gerontology Program Appoints Associate Professor
The Gerontology Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro announces the appointment of Bei Wu, PhD, to the faculty as Associate Professor, effective January, 2009. Read more about her.
In Memoriam: Helen Newsome
Helen Newsome, remembered by many as a colorful, energetic and tireless advocate for the elderly of Martin and Hertford Counties over several decades, passed away in November. She established the first aging services program in Ahoskie, NC, and retired later as the director of the Martin County Senior Center.
Peter Reed To Head CHI
Former IOA CPHAR Fellow Peter Reed has been appointed President and CEO of the Center for Health Improvement, effective January 20, 2009. CHI is a national non-profit dedicated to research, health policy and community interventions to promote health across the life course.
ImmunizeNC.com Wants Elders To Get Their Flu Shots
Here are just a few reasons for aging services professionals and caregivers to encourage seniors to get vaccinated against influenza ("the flu"):
- Medicare pays for flu shots;
- The flu virus can be deadly, leading to complications like pneumonia. Most people who die from the flu each year are over 65;
- The flu shot can't give you the flu.
State Aging Programs Hit By Economy; New Report
The National Association of State Units on Aging surveyed its members in 2008 to determine how the economic downturn has affected aging services. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia responded, and the resulting report shows the majority of state aging programs experiencing budget shortfalls.
Faculty Position Open: Massachusetts
The Department of Gerontology of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston seeks to hire one full-time tenured faculty member at the associate or full professor level to begin September 2009. Senior candidates will be considered for the Frank J. Manning Eminent Scholar's Chair in Gerontology. Read the full job description.
New from NC Researchers
Dilworth-Anderson, Peggye; Cohen, Monique. (2009). Theorizing across cultures in later life. In Vern L. Bengtson, Daphna Gans, Norella Putney and Merril Silverstein (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Aging. New York: Springer. 487-498.
Longino, Charles F. Jr.; Powell, Jason L. (2009). Theorizing phenomenology and aging. In Vern L. Bengtson, Daphna Gans, Norella Putney and Merril Silverstein (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Aging. New York: Springer. 375-387.
Marshall, Victor W. (2009). Theory informing public policy: The life course perspective as a policy tool. In Vern L. Bengtson, Daphna Gans, Norella Putney and Merril Silverstein (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Aging. New York: Springer. 573-593.
Van Houtven, Courtney Harold; Jeffreys, Amy S.; Coffman, Cynthia J. (2008). Home health care and patterns of subsequent VA and Medicare health care utilization for Veterans. The Gerontologist 48(5): 668-678.
Williams, Sharon Wallace; Desai, Tejas; Rurka, Jeffrey T.; Mutran, Elizabeth J.. (2008). Predictors of satisfaction for African-American and White family caregivers of adult care home residents. Journal of Applied Gerontology 27(5): 568-587.
For a list of items recently published by North Carolina faculty, see New & Notable Publications.
Aging & Health Promotion News
The following new policy documents contribute to the study of health promotion and aging: The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform (Of particular interest is Chapter 5, Second-Generation Consumerism: Increasing Consumer Activation to Improve Health Outcomes and Lower Costs for Patients with Chronic Disease); Call to Action: Health Reform 2009 (Of particular interest are the chapters, Focusing on Prevention and Wellness, and Strengthening the Role of Primary Care and Chronic Care Management); Blueprint for a Healthier America: Modernizing the Federal Public Health System to Focus on Prevention and Preparedness.
CDC/NACDD Issue Briefs on mental health and aging. The Centers for Disease Control Healthy Aging Program, in conjunction with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, has developed "The State of Mental Health and Aging in America", a new series of issue briefs. The recently released first brief documents the mental health of older adults 50 years of age and older at the national and state-levels using 6 mental health indicators from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The second brief will be released in early 2009, describing selected evidence-based programs that organizations can implement to address depression in older adults.
New from the Digital Library
These are selected new additions to the AgeLib Digital Library. The links below will open a new window displaying the AgeLib record.
Adult learner-centered training: An introduction for educators in home and residential care / report
view the record
Healthy ageing profiles: Guidance for producing local health profiles for older people / report
view the record
The aging services network: Broad mandate and increasing responsibilities / report
view the record
Time use across the life course / report
view the record
Featured Web Site:
Alliance for Aging Research
www.agingresearch.org
The Alliance is a not-for-profit citizen advocacy organization promoting medical and behavioral research into the aging process since 1986.
Its web site contains resources and interactive tools for physicians, consumers and caregivers.
Upcoming Events In NC
December 16, 2008 IOA Seminar Series
Risk factors for venous thromboembolism in the young and elderly
Alisa Wolberg, Dept. of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
3:30-5:00 pm, IOA main conference room, 720 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
December 16, 2008
Finding Your Voice: Navigating the Healthcare Maze
Sponsored by Project Compassion. Limited registration: 919.402.1844 or email tiffany@project-compassion.org
7:00-9:00 pm, Carrboro Century Center
Save The Dates
January 27, 2009
Aging Workforce Interest Group
New Hires and Separation: Significance for Older Workers in North Carolina
Bradford Woodard, NC Employment Security Commission & Bob Konrad, UNC Institute on Aging,
1:00-3:00 pm, IOA main conference room, 720 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
Please RSVP to Diane Wurzinger at diane_wurzinger@unc.edu.
January 28-31, 2009
American Institute of Financial Gerontology
UNC Greensboro, Elliott University Center, Dogwood Room
Classes 7:30 am - 5:00 pm, Wed.- Fri.; Exam is 7:00 am - Noon on Saturday
March 5-6, 2009
20th Annual Challenges in Geriatric Practice Conference
Advances in Geriatrics
Friday Center, Chapel Hill, NC
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.