Aging Workforce Interest Group Meeting 10/7/08
The Aging Workforce Interest Group is meeting on Tuesday October 7th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the IOA. Victor Marshall, IOA Director, Ann Johnson, Chair of the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging, and Peter Stein, IOA Associate Director of Aging Workforce Initiatives, will provide a summary of the Forum on North Carolina's Aging Workforce which was held in Raleigh September 23 and 24. The Forum focused on a number of contemporary issues including global, national, and local aging workforce issues; the brain drain; the experiences of older workers; retaining and retraining older workers; and creating an age-friendly workplace. Please join us for this timely conversation. A light lunch will be served; RSVP required to Peter Stein, 919-966-6818 or pstein@schsr.unc.edu, or Diane Wurzinger, 919-843-2647.
Aging Exchange 2008: Preregister Today!
Don't miss this year's enhanced Aging Exchange on October 16th from 1:00-6:30 pm at the Friday Center! The event features presentations from award-winning UNC scholars in aging... recommendations from last year's Aging Research Retreat... Vice-Chancellor Dr. Tony Waldrop's reactions to those recommendations… a presentation from Dr. Harold Pincus, nationally renowned professor from Columbia University... and nearly 40 student and faculty posters featuring aging research from a multitude of disciplines on campus. The day concludes with a reception.
Please join us to be “in the know” about aging research at UNC-CH! The event is free and open to the public, but since food and beverages will be served throughout the day, we ask that you pre-register by calling 919-966-9444. Visit the Aging Exchange web site to find out more.
NC Conference On Aging Program Now Online
The final Conference program with abstracts for all workshops, symposia, papers, roundtables and posters taking place on days 2 and 3 of this year's NC Conference on Aging, October 28-30 in Greenville, NC, is now available on the Conference web site. Also on the site is the PreProgram/Registration booklet, containing information on plenary sessions taking place on the first day, as well as the conference schedule, highlights, registration form, information on conference hotels, and directions. Early registration for the conference ends on October 10th.
IOA CPHAR Training Program Renewed
CPHAR, the Carolina Program for Health and Aging Research, has received renewal funding from the National Institute on Aging. It is now able to fund two postdoctoral fellows and four predoctoral fellows; six new fellows have been appointed effective September 29, 2008. They are: Dr. John Cagle, Dr. Michael LaMantia, Monique Cohen, Laura D'Arcy, Eva Katz and Mairead Moloney. Read the full story to learn more.
IOA Staff Transitions
On September 30, 2008, Pam Hatcher, Institute on Aging Program Assistant, will retire from the University after 5 years of service. The IOA warmly thanks Pam for her contributions to the Institute's success. Pam's duties will be taken over by Becky Stone as our new Administrative Support Associate on October 1st. Becky already has experience with a variety of duties at the IOA and we know she'll be a great addition to the permanent staff.
DEAR Call For Proposals
The Demography and Economics of Aging Research program of UNC-Chapel Hill's Carolina Population Center invites pilot project proposals for Fall 2008. The deadline to apply is 10/31/08. The seed money provided by the pilot proposal program is designed to assist recipients in applying for external funding from NIA. Follow link to application requirements.
SGS Call For Proposals
The Southern Gerontological Society has issued a call for proposals for its 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting scheduled for April, 2009 in St. Petersburg, FL. The deadline for proposal submission is January 9, 2009.
Good News For NC Colleagues
Ellen Schneider, IOA Associate Director for Operations and Communications, has been elected chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Volunteer Caregiving.
Bernadette R. Williams, Assistant Professor in the UNC Department of Allied Health Sciences, and a board certified geriatric clinical specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association, has received the APTA's 2008 Dr. Jules M. Rothstein Minority Research Fellowship Award.
PubAlerts Expands Subject Offerings
A free service of the UNC Institute on Aging Information Center, PubAlerts are now available in four topic areas. In addition to frontline healthcare workers, health promotion/healthy aging, and older workers, a quarterly PubAlert will be published on lifelong learning, civic engagement and library and information services for older adults. Visit the PubAlerts page to view pdf versions of archived alerts or to subscribe to alerts for one or more topics.
Quoting The Experts
On September 22, 2008, Peter Stein, IOA Associate Director of Aging Workforce Initiatives, was quoted in a News & Observer article, Older Workers Face Uncertainty.
On September 10, 2008, Bill Lamb, IOA Associate Director for Public Service, was quoted in a Charlotte Observer article, Missing Woman's Family Faults State. On September 18, the paper also published Bill's letter to the editor, Unique Living is a Product of Our Failure, following up on the article.
On September 18, 2008, Robert Clark, NC State University Professor of Management, was quoted in an InsideHigherEd.com article, Will Professors Delay Retirements?
It's Nearly Flu Season Again
The NC Immunization Branch would like to remind seniors and their caregivers that the North Carolina flu season will start as usual this fall and last through February or March. Influenza is a serious infectious respiratory disease easily spread through contact before symptoms are evident. Adults 65 and older are particularly at risk for developing serious complications from the flu, as are any other adults with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease. The best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination every year. The flu shot cannot give you the flu. For more information about the flu shot, or to get vaccinated, contact your doctor today, or visit www.immunizenc.com. For a listing of flu shot clinics in your area, see http://www2.thecarolinascenter.org/fcf/
Elders And Domestic Abuse Conference 10/21/08
Looking Ahead: Promising Initiatives for a Community Response to Domestic Abuse in Later Life
will be presented by The Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley on October 21, 2008 from 9am to 4pm at Radford University, Radford, VA. Sponsors are VCU’s Virginia Center on Aging, the Family and Children’s Trust Fund, Radford University’s King Endowment, and the Virginia Center for Prevention of Elder Abuse.
Healthy Aging And Depression Webinars- October And November, 2008
A series of technical assistance webinars (online trainings) directed toward the adoption of
evidence-based depression interventions for older adults will be offered on October 16, 23, 29 and November 13 by the CDC's Prevention Research Centers Healthy Aging Research Network. This Webinar
series is made possible through the generous support of the Retirement Research Foundation and
partnership with the National Council on Aging (NCOA). More information is available at http://depts.washington.edu/harn/
October Aging Observances
Gerontological Nurses Week (October 1-8), National Depression Screening Day (October 10), World Osteoporosis Day (October 20).
New from NC Researchers
Blazer, Dan. (2008). How do you feel about...? Health outcomes in late life and self-perceptions of health and well-being. The Gerontologist 48(4): 415-22.
Dobbs, Debra; Eckert, Kevin J.; Rubinstein, Bob; Keimig, Lynn; Clark, Leanne; Frankowski, Ann Christine; Zimmerman, Sheryl. (2008). An ethnographic study of stigma and ageism in residential care or assisted living. The Gerontologist 48(4): 517-26.
Manton, Kenneth G.; Gu, XiLiang; Lowrimore, Gene R. (2008). Cohort changes in active life expectancy in the U.S. elderly population: Experience from the 1982-2004 National Long-Term Care Survey. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 63B(5): S269-S281.
Munn, Jean C.; Dobbs, Debra; Meier, Andrea; Williams, Christianna S.; Biola, Holly; Zimmerman, Sheryl. (2008). The end-of-life experience in long-term care: Five themes identified from focus groups with residents, family members, and staff. The Gerontologist 48(4): 485-94.
Palmer, Mary H.; Busby-Whitehead, Jan. (2008). The American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging: educational resources for your patients. Clinical Geriatrics 16(4): 15-16.
For a list of items recently published by North Carolina faculty, see New & Notable Publications.
Aging & Health Promotion News
Falls prevention videos feature UNC researchers in aging. Two new videos, Taking extra precautions can cut risk of falls in older adults (parts 1 and 2), feature commentary by IOA Research Scientist Dr. Tiffany Shubert and UNC Associate Professor of Occupational Science Susan Coppola. The videos can be accessed in the online newsroom of UNC Healthcare.
NC DPH Blueprint Addresses Aging and Specifies Partnering and Activities with the IOA. The North Carolina Division of Public Health's "NC Chronic Disease and Injury Section Integration Blueprint 2007-2012" was released earlier this year. The Blueprint was developed to identify integration priorities for the Chronic Disease and Injury Section (CDIS), maximize current resources and garner new ones, enhance credibility with stakeholders and avoid duplication of effort. It includes 4 recommendations under the rubric of "Aging Initiatives": Recommendation #10 - Nurture new and expand existing public and private partnerships to implement strategies for a coordinated and systematic healthy aging initiative to address issues related to physical activity, nutrition, and the prevention, delay and management of chronic diseases and injury in populations 60 and older; Recommendation #11 - Incorporate aging considerations into all appropriate CDIS branches; Recommendation #12 - Implement evidence-based health promotion interventions focused on the older adult population, in collaboration with state partners; Recommendation #13 - Secure funding to sustain evidence-based and/or best practice programs for North Carolina's older adult population. With respect to partnership building and activities, strategies call for: formalizing the CDIS partnership with the IOA and DAAS as well as the DPH Injury branch; incorporating the IOA as a third partner into the existing Memorandum of Agreement between the DPH and the DAAS; participating at the quarterly meetings of the NC Healthy Aging Coalition, which is managed by the IOA; and continuing health promotion program initiatives with the IOA including development of the Falls Coalition, and dissemination of the NC Healthy Aging Roadmap and the Chronic Disease Self-management Program.
AoA is pleased to celebrate healthy aging by highlighting evidence-based prevention and wellness projects being conducted in communities across the Nation. Featured programs are: Maine Healthy Ideas (depression relief); New Jersey Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP); Maryland and Illinois evidence-based programs linking clinical and aging services partners; Hawaii Enhances Fitness; California Partnerships for More Responsible Self-Care; Texas Matter of Balance (falls prevention). Visit the AoA web site for detailed stories.
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.
12 steps for creating a culture of retention: a workbook for home and community-based long-term care providers / learning modules and tools
view the record
Adjusting government policies for age inflation/ report
view the record
Mental stimulation and lifelong learning activities in the 55+ population/ report
view the record
Will employers want aging boomers/ report
view the record
Featured Web Site:
CarFit: Helping Mature Drivers Find Their Perfect Fit
http://www.car-fit.org/
CarFit is an educational program created by the American Society on Aging and developed in collaboration with AAA (American Automobile Association), AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association. CarFit offers older adults the opportunity to check out how well their personal vehicles "fit" them, and information and materials for community-specific resources and activities. The program uses a team of trained event coordinators and health professionals who work with each participant at a scheduled CarFit event.
Upcoming Events In NC
October 4, 2008
Spirit, Service, and Community in the Second Half of Life
Sponsored by Second Journey
Seymour Center in Chapel Hill
October 6, 2008
ALZ 101: Learn to Care Effectively
7:00-8:30 pm, Baum Senior Center, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Sponsored by GEM Adult Day Services
252-480-3354
October 7, 2008
IOA Interest Group on the Aging Workforce
Summary of the Forum on North Carolina's Aging Workforce
Presenters: Ann Johnson, Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Task Force on Aging, Victor Marshall, IOA Director, Peter Stein, IOA Assistant Director of Aging Workforce Initiatives
1:00-3:00 pm, IOA 2nd floor conference room, 720 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
RSVP no later than 10/3/08 to Diane Wurzinger, 919-843-2647, or diane_wurzinger@unc.edu
October 16, 2008
The Aging Exchange
1:00-7:00 pm, William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education, Chapel Hill NC
October 22, 2008
Webinar- The Making of an Elder Culture
Sponsored by Second Journey
http://www.secondjourney.org/Roszak.htm
October 24, 2008
Conscious Aging: A New Vision for Growing Older
Empire Room, Downtown Greensboro, NC
October 28-30, 2008
7th Annual North Carolina Conference on Aging
Greenville, NC
http://www.aging.unc.edu/nccoa/index.html
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.