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A Global Focus
In This Issue:
Upcoming Deadlines
Announcements
Research & News
Funding Opportunities
Resources
Policy
Ripples Goes Global
In efforts to include cutting-edge information related to aging issues both in the United States and across the globe, the Geriatric Social Work Iniative has been making an effort to include international, as well as domestic articles, information, and announcements in the past few issues of Ripples. As we continue to improve upon our newsletter and website, we will strive to include content that is beneficial to our readers and to the communities they serve. For easy navigability in our newsletter, you will find the international content following the domestic articles in each of our sections. As always, if you have content you would like to be considered for Ripples, please send an email to gswi@geron.org.
Upcoming Deadlines
Letter of Intent Due to VA for Consideration in New Partnership Program with Hartford Faculty Scholars
All interested applicants must receive approval to apply from the Veteran's Administration (VA) Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). A letter of intent must be sent to the OAA no later than November 12, 2009. More information about the approval process is available on the VA Scholars Program webpage.
Hartford Faculty Scholars and Hartford Doctoral Fellows Applications Due February 1, 2010
The next Cohorts of Hartford Faculty Scholars and Hartford Doctoral Fellows will be chosen in the spring of next year. Applications can be found on the Geriatric Social Work Initiative website.
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Announcements
This Week is Aging in Place Week
The Administration on Aging celebrates National Aging in Place Week this week, October 12th through 18th. AoA’s mission is to help older individuals maintain their dignity and independence in their homes and communities. Recently the AoA announced first-time funding for the new Community Innovations for Aging in Place Initiative. Through this program, AoA is funding community-based non-profit organizations to assess the needs of their community and design innovative interventions that will make it easier for older adults to age in place. From the many creative applications received, fourteen diverse and collaborative programs were funded to develop programs in inner cities as well frontier and rural areas – each designed to target those in greatest need. For more information, please download the fact sheet on this special project.
Gero Events Abound at CSWE’s 2009 APM!
This year the Gero-Ed Track (PDF) includes over 85 educational presentations and films and 13 special events.
Hartford Faculty Scholars and Doctoral Fellows Recruitment Meeting at CSWE APM
Program Coordinators from the Hartford Faculty Scholars and Hartford Doctoral Fellows Programs will host a recruitment meeting on Saturday, November 7 from 8:00 AM–9:00 AM at the Convention Center, Room 214A. This discussion meeting will focus on funding opportunities for geriatric social workers. Come and learn more about funding sources for social work faculty and doctoral students. The Hartford Faculty Scholars Program, Hartford/NIA Institute on Research in Aging, and the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Programs will be discussed.
Excitement Building for GSA’s Annual Scientific Meeting
GSA’s Annual Scientific Meeting is quickly approaching but there is still time to register! Join your colleagues in Atlanta, November 18-22, for a truly comprehensive meeting that will leave you with new insights and new contacts. Register today at www.geron.org/asm.
View the Meeting-at-a-Glance for AGHE’s Annual Meeting!
The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education's Annual Meeting and Educational Leadership Conference is taking place March 4-7, 2010 in Reno, Nevada. A premier national forum for discussing ideas and issues in gerontological and geriatric education committed to educating future leaders. View the Meeting-at-a-Glance at www.aghe.org/am.
VA Social Workers Eligible to Apply to Hartford Faculty Scholars Program
The Hartford Faculty Scholars Program is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Veterans Administration. The Scholars Program will be offering a limited number of eligible academic social workers from the Veterans Health Administration the opportunity to participate in the Faculty Scholars Program. Those who are interested must send a letter of intent by Nov. 12th. Information and details regarding eligibility for the program can be found at the VA website here.
University of Pennsylvania Launches Gerontology Program in Conjunction with Hartford Foundation
The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is launching a program in working with older adults, with the help of a two-year, $10,000 grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation and a matching $10,000 contribution from a donor. As one of 16 schools to receive this grant, the School of Social Policy & Practice has created the Penn Aging Concentration, or PAC, designed to develop a new cadre of professionally prepared social workers in geriatric social work practice at the clinical, program, administrative and policy-making levels who will be able to address the needs of the nation’s aging population.
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Research & News
"Wii-hab" Tested as Therapy for Parkinson's Disease
The Medical College of Georgia announced results of its research on the effects of using "Wii-hab" with people who have Parkinson's Disease. The college conducted an eight-week study in which 18 people played Wii Sports games for an hour a day, three days a week for four weeks. By playing games such as boxing and ten-pin bowling, participants showed improvement in a variety of areas, including: rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels. Also notable was a decrease in depression amongst participants. For more about the benefits of Wii-hab, see the original article from the Times Online.
Costs of Health Care Partially Offset by Future Savings in Medicare
Harvard Medical School research indicates that individuals without continuous health care coverage from the ages of 51-64 cost Medicare more than those who did. On average, the additional cost was about $1,000 per person annually and mostly due to complications resulting from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and from delayed surgeries concerning arthritis. "The debate over health reform has focused on its costs rather than its benefits. This important study shows that closing the gaps in health insurance coverage for older adults can have important benefits in controlling chronic conditions early on—contributing to better health and lower cost once they reach age 65 and qualify for Medicare," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. The researchers estimate that filling in the coverage gaps for adults who are uninsured between ages 51 to 64 would cost $197 billion due to greater health care utilization. However, this increase in healthcare for this same group would potentially reduce subsequent Medicare spending by $98 billion. Thus, the overall net cost would be $99 billion.
New Web Tool Offers Advice in Addition to Medical Records
Keas, a start-up company led by Adam Bosworth, former head of the Google Health team, plans to become the newest entrant to the online consumer health business. Using the internet, a service would be provided, including tips on diet and exercise, reminders about medication and appointments, questions and prompts presented on the website or available through email or text messages which would go directly to the patient's cell phone. “The goal is not just health care information, but knowledge about what that means and what action to take,” said Dr. John D. Halamka, chief information officer at the Harvard Medical School, and a member of a federal advisory group on electronic health records. For more information on Keas, read the full article posted in the New York Times.
Trio of Americans Receive Nobel Prize in Medicine for Research in Aging
Australian-born Elizabeth Blackburn, British-born Jack Szostak and Carol Greider won the prize for work that laid the foundation for studies that have linked telomerase and telomeres to human cancer and age-related conditions. "We had no idea when we started this work that telomerase would be involved in cancer, but were simply curious about how chromosomes stayed intact," Carol Greider said in an emailed statement. "The work on telomeres and telomerase is a classic in curiosity-driven discovery in a fundamental biological process." Blackburn is with the University of California, San Francisco, Greider is with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Szostak, at Harvard Medical School since 1979, is currently at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. For more information, listen to the audio interview with Greider at the Nobel Prize website.
Aging with Depression at Risk for Low Bone Density
Reuters Health reports the results of a new study that shows correlation between depression and low bone mineral density (BMD) in aging individuals. Dr. Raz Yirmiya and Dr. Itai Bab from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel wrote in the journal Biological Psychiatry that "ample research" indicates a major clinical depression as a factor in osteoporosis. They found that, overall, depressed individuals had less dense bones than those who did not have depression. "We propose that all individuals psychiatrically diagnosed with major depression are at risk for developing osteoporosis, with depressed women -- particularly those who are premenopausal -- showing a higher risk than men," Yirmiya and Bab concluded, based on this and other research.
Aging-Friendly Supermarkets Becoming More Popular in Japan
Japan has one of the world's fastest aging populations. With almost 30 million people over the age of 65 (approximately 20% of Japan's population which is expected to double to 40% by the year 2055), it's no wonder that the country is finding ways to cater to its older generations. Supermarkets in Japan are making efforts to be more accessible to older Japanese. Some of the ways they are doing this include lighter shopping carts, making in-store guidance messages larger for easier reading, widening aisles for easier navigability for those with disabilities or who need assistance in mobility, and offering 5 percent discount coupons for the first 50 customers aged 60 or older on the 15th day of the month, when pension benefits are paid. Supermarket operators also provide home delivery services for the elderly and other people who cannot easily go out shopping. For more information on how Japan is accommodating its aging population, please read the original article from Daily Yomiuri Online and the Associated Press.
Caregivers Need Access to Support Services
At the Alexandra Hospital Accident and Emergency Department (Singapore), patients without urgent issues are being admitted to the emergency room. Caregivers are abandoning elders due to a lack of resources. Most caregivers do not want to place the burden on emergency medical staff, but need breaks themselves. The practice is creating an emergent need for medical social workers. Social workers are needed to counsel family members who are unwilling or unable to take back responsibility for the patients and even help to find other care arrangements. For this reason, social workers in Singapore are calling for improved access to support services.
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Funding Opportunities
Funding for Experiential Learning in BSW Programs Available
The CSWE Gero-Ed Center has just released the Request for Proposals for Cycle 2 of the BSW Experiential Learning (BEL) Program, which provides $4,000 to create opportunities for students to interact directly with older adults.
New Funding Opportunities from NIH
The National Institute of Health has a number of grant opportunities, which include, but are not limited to the following:
Summer Research Training in Aging for Medical Students
Nathan Shock Centers Of Excellence in Basic Biology of Aging
Secondary Analyses of Existing Data Sets and Stored Biospecimens to Address Clinical Aging Research Questions
For a more complete listing on the NIH funding available for aging-related research, please click here.
NIH Funding Opportunities: Building Partnerships between Academic Research Centers and Community-Based Orgnizations
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the availability of $30 million provided by the American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to support the development of partnerships between academic research centers and community-based organizations. This funding opportunity, developed in collaboration with the Administration on Aging (AoA), supports the development of infrastructure and staff for productive and sustainable academic-community research partnerships. The goal is to accelerate the pace, productivity, dissemination, and implementation of research translation in community-based settings by strengthening and transforming relationships between academic centers and community organizations. Academic research centers must take the lead in applying for these grant funds, but they are required to have a full collaboration with community-based organization(s). This grant announcement gives special attention to projects that involve partnerships with HHS funded networks, including the AoA supported Aging Services Network. NIH anticipates awarding 30 or more grants with a funding maximum of $1 million per applicant. Letters of intent are due November 12, 2009 and the application due date is December 11, 2009. For a copy of the grant announcement, go to: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-010.html
American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009 Communities Putting Prevention to Work
CDC's Procurement and Grants Office just announced a funding opportunity entitled "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Communities Putting Prevention to Work". Approximately $373 million will be available in fiscal year 2009 to fund thirty to forty awards. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to create healthier communities through sustainable, proven, population-based approaches such as broad-based policy, systems, organizational and environmental changes in communities and schools. Deadline: December 1, 2009.
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Resources
AGHE Releases New Edition of the Directory of Educational Programs in Gerontology and Geriatrics
The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education's Directory of Educational Programs in Gerontology and Geriatrics contains information about formal credit and post-doctoral gerontology programs in aging that are offered at almost 300 institutions nationwide. To learn more, or to purchase your copy, click here under AGHE products.
United States Census Bureau Provides Resources on Aging Workers
The US Census Bureau released two documents with regard to older Americans in September: the Work Status of People 65 Years and Older: 2008 American Community Survey and the Labor Force Participation Rate of People 65 Years and Older: 2008 American Community Survey. Also released in September was the Congressional Research Service Report entitled "Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends".
NIA Tipsheet on Clinical Trials with Older Adults
The National Institute on Aging has released a tipsheet on clinical trials with older people. This tipsheet answers questions on the who, what, when, where, why, and how of clinical trails. In addition to the basics, the publication also includes safeguards to protect participants and a glossary of terms for reference.
ADI Releases World Alzheimer Report
On September 21, World Alzheimer's Day, the World Alzheimer Report was released by Alzheimer's Disease International. The report presents the most comprehensive global prevalence study of dementia to date and looks at levels of mortality, disability, strain on carers and dependency. The report also offers examples of good national dementia plans and information on health service responses.
Interactive Subsidy Calculator
The Kaiser Family Foundation has created an interactive calculator which helps to illustrate what people might be responsible for paying in premiums and how much financial help they might receive from the government receiving coverage through an exchange or gateway under the health reform plans now under consideration by the key Congressional committees.
Questions and Answers: Immigrant Health Care Coverage and Health Care Reform
As debate continues on health care reform in Washington, DC, it seems more questions are raised than answers provided. The Kaiser Family Foundation has provided a Question and Answer sheet in order to remedy the phenomenon where immigrants are concerned. As of 2008, there were 39 million immigrants in the U.S., accounting for 13% of the population. This brief provides insight into the following: how immigrants receive health coverage, how many of the uninsured are non-citizen immigrants, how non-citizen immigrants receive health coverage, and how the issues are addressed under the current health care proposals. You can download the Q&A brief here.
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Policy
Track the Social Work Reinvestment Act
Earlier this year, the Social Work Reinvestment Act (HR-795 and S-686) was introduced to the United States Congress by Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). The bill's aim is to form a commission for the purpose of creating long-term reccommendations and strategies to maximize the ability of social workers to serve individuals, families, and communities with expertise and care. Also proposed are demonstration programs for the purposes of prioritizing activities in the areas of workplace improvements, research, education, training, and community-based programs of excellence, which will include a national coordinating center. For an in-depth summary of the bill, please download the factsheet here. Both bills have been referred to committee. To track the bills, go to http://www.thomas.gov and search for HR-795 for the House bill and S-686 for the Senate bill. More information can also be found via the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative.
Advocacy Groups Discuss Race Issues Involved in Health Care Reform
While debate on how substance of health care reform rages on, there is another issue on Capitol Hill likely to get even more attention: the obvious lack of minority opinions heard on the same subject. While previously cautious about making race an issue in the health care debate, leaders of minority advocacy groups are becoming more and more vocal as it comes down to the wire. The president of the National Council of La Raza, Janet Murguía says, "I tend to think that we could win this on the merits and the facts. I don't think we have to resort to race issues to get a common-sense and sound health-care reform," but not all agree with her opinion. An ad campaign will be rolled out this week. It will be the first directly targeting African Americans and Latinos and will run in both English and Spanish to reach a wider audience.
Senator Snowe Key Vote on Senate Finance Committe Vote Regarding $829 Billion Health Care Reform Bill
Yesterday on Capitol Hill, the Senate Finance Committee debated and voted on the "Baucus Bill". Senator Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, looked to Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) for bipartisan support. While the Demorats have a clear majority in the committee (13-10), Senator Snowe is the first Republican to show public support for the bill through her vote. The Finance Committee was the last of five congressional panels to act on a health-overhaul bill, pushing a remake of the U.S. health-care system closer to reality than it has been in decades. While the outcome of the vote was never in question, the addition of Senator Snowe's vote is a victory above and beyond the passing of the bill.
For more information on the Baucus Bill, please see Ezra Klein's summary of the Bill from the Washington Post last month and the Frequently Asked Questions put together by Forbes.com.
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