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Maturing Technology for the Aging Community
In This Issue:
Upcoming Deadlines
Announcements
Research & News
Funding Opportunities
Resources
Policy
Upcoming Deadlines
August 2, 2010: Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program Application Deadline
May 31, 2010: Abstracts due for 9th International Conference on Urban Health, New York Academy of Medicine
July 1, 2010: Deadline for AGHE Hiram J. Friedsam Mentorship Award Nominations
August 31, 2010: Deadline for early bird registration rate for CSWE APM Meeting
September 1, 2010: Deadline for early bird registration for the Gerontological Society of America's Annual Meeting
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Announcements
Info Webinar on Funding Opportunities in Geriatric Social Work
Please join James Lubben, DSW, MPH, Principal Investigator and National Director of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program, for an important informational recruitment webinar on Thursday May 20th 12-12:30 pm ET. Anyone interested in applying for the August 2, 2010 Hartford Doctoral Fellows program should plan to attend. Please register by emailing your name and contact information (University and email address) to gswi@geron.org.
New Twitter Feeds Provide Aging Updates
The Gerontological Society of America
’s public policy branch, the National Academy on an Aging Society, has launched two new Twitter feeds. For the latest updates, research, and resources on aging policy, follow @Aging_Society. For the most up-to-date news, trends, and reports on business and aging, follow @AgingMeansBiz.
AGHE's Awards Committee Soliciting Nominations for the Hiram J. Friedsam Mentorship Award
Friedsam was a professor, co-founder, and director of the Center for Studies in Agina and Dean of the School of Community Service at the University of North Texas. He was an outstanding teacher, researcher, colleague, and mentor to students, faculty, and administrators, and a past-president of the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education. The purpose of this award is to recognize those who emulate Dr. Friedsam's excellence in mentorship. Nominees must have contributed to gerontological education through excellence in mentorship to students, faculty, or administrators and have advanced the goals and mission of AGHE. The nominee must be affiliated with an AGHE member institution. For more information about the application process, please contact Awards Committee Chair, Dr. Kelly Niles-Yokum at (717) 815-6477 or via email at knilesyo@ycp.edu. Nominations are due July 1, 2010.
CSWE Meeting Registration is Open
Registration for the Council on Social Work Education’s 2010 Annual Program Meeting (APM) Promoting Sustainability in Social Work is now open! Central to this year’s APM sustainability theme is its location. Portland, OR, renowned for its “green” efforts, provides the perfect host city for CSWE to introduce its expanded commitment to make regular annual conference operations more sustainable. More information about this year’s program activities can be found on our website at 2010 APM. This year the theme for the APM Gero-Ed Track is Enhancing and Sustaining Innovative Services for LGBT Elders with Kick-Off Speaker, Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen. Learn about our special events, including the Gero-Ed Track Kick-Off, by visiting the Gero-Ed Track page: http://www.cswe.org/CentersInitiatives/GeroEdCenter/Events/gerotrack/39476.aspx. Early bird registration will be open through August 31.
Congratulations to the following:
Dr. Shadi Martin, Charles Barkley Health Disparities Investigator Award
Dr. Shadi Martin, Hartford Faculty Scholar Cohort X, was recently awarded for her research in health disparities. Dr. Martin was given the second place Charles Barkley Health Disparities Investigator Award for her oral poster presentation on her research project, " Patients' Right Not to Know: Exploring the Attitudes of Older Iranian Immigrants about Medical Disclosure of Terminal Illness" at the 2010 UAB Health Disparities Research Symposium, sponsored by the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC).
Dr. Barbara Berkman, American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare Fellow
The board of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare has selected 23 fellows for their distinguished accomplishments as scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in high-impact work that advances social good. The inaugural cohort of fellows were honored during public ceremonies at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.
Dr. Tina Maschi, Hartford Faculty Scholar
Fordham Notes, news blog of Fordham University, highlighted Dr. Tina Maschi's previous achievements and her acceptance into the Hartford Faculty Scholars Program. Dr. Maschi's research focuses on older adults in the New Jersey Department of Corrections' criminal justice system.
Louanne Bakk, Hartford Doctoral Fellow
Ms. Bakk and her research on gender and race disparities in cost-related non-adherance relating to Medicare Part-D and factors which impact compliance among older women and blacks was featured on Hometownlife.com.
2010 Health & Aging Policy Fellows
Six of this year's nine Health & Aging Policy Fellows are in some way affiliated with the John A. Hartford Foundation, the philanthropic organization that makes the Geriatric Social Work Initiative possible. Read more about the Health & Aging Policy Fellows Program and Chad Boult, Diane Meier, Richard Marottoli, Heidi Wald, Steven Counsell, Margaret Wallhagen and the other fellows on the HAPF website.
Profiles in Social Work
Read the latest edition of Profiles in Social Work, Integrating Cultural Differences into Practice with Older Adults, a profile of Karen Bullock. Also, check out the archives to read about the many social workers who have benefited from our programs. Profiles in Social Work is periodically updated with information on some of the gerontological social workers who have been a part of the Gerontological Social Work Initiative.
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Research & News
Boomers Use Social Networking to Praise, Protest, Pontificate
Baby Boomers aren't taking to the streets, they're taking to the internet. More grandparents are now on Facebook than high school students, reports CNBC. 90% of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 are online and those aged 65 and older now make up 13% of the total population of online users. Boomers are talking about anything and everything online, including: health care reform, reverse mortgages, workplace ageism, aid to Haiti, and corporate social responsibility. So, the generation hasn't given up its activism, it's just instead of sit-ins, they're using online internet tools.
Talking Mats Assist Elderly with Dementia in Decisionmaking
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has released a report on Talking Mats, which are said to help those with dementia and their caretakers in decisionmaking. The study explains how the Talking Mats, a simple system of picture symbols that allows people to indicate opinions of various options through non-verbal communication, can help both parties to participate more fully in discussions about everyday care. In addition to working through communications on a day-to-day basis, the mats also offer a way to record the outcome for later reference.
Virginia Launches Portable Housing for Aging Adults
Rev. Kenneth Dupin, of Salem, Virginia, has invented a controversial new dwelling entitled MEDcottage. This so-called "granny pod", is a portable high-tech one-room dwelling. The MEDcottage is to be outfitted with the latest in care technology, including: monitors for vital signs, air filters, and video communication tools. Special sensors could alert someone if the occupant were to fall and a computer could remind the occupant to take medications, while other technology could provide entertainment in the form of reading materials, music, or movies. Rev. Dupin hopes that the cost of leasing a MEDcottage would be covered by insurers. Leasing a pod would cost about $2,000 a month and the small shed-sized dwelling would have the ability to hook up to the house's water and electricity, much like an RV. For the original article, please see the Washington Post article.
Keeping Your Eye on the Process: Body Image, Older Women, and Countertransference
Many academics and others have researched body image among older women during the last decade. However, these researchers have largely overlooked body image and older women and countertransference. Read these seven case examples of racially and ethnically diverse women over 60 years old, published in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work. The authors treat themes related to loss and grief, adult daughter and aging mother issues, incest, anger, disability, personality disorders, phobic reactions, and shame.
Still Out, Still Aging: The MetLife Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Baby Boomers
What will happen when the LGBT population in the US ages into retirement and beyond? Will it change the face of aging as much as it has changed attitudes about sexual orientation and gender identity? What are the critical concerns, needs, and issues that affect LGBT Boomers as they move beyond middle age? This study, conducted by MetLife, uses interviews with LGBT seniors to answer these questions. Changing family dynamics, misconceptions of long-term care funding, and an increased retirement age are just a few of the developing trends that this study reveals.
Technology for the Elderly Maturing
Technology for the elderly is maturing, reports the Irish Times. The Business of Ageing conference in Ireland last month brought forth speakers, who were eager to name Ireland as a country that could lead development in a variety of aging-related areas. Current trials of new monitoring technology in Ireland are focused on fall prevention, cognitive functions, and social connections.
Robot Teddy Bear to Comfort Elderly in Japan
Fujitsu has developed a robot teddy bear designed to comfort and entertain the elderly. A camera placed in the nose of the bear detects human faces and actions, which will trigger up to 300 different responses from the cuddly machine. Sensors in the bear's head and limbs will also be able to detect human touches and elicit responses. Fujitsu hopes that the bear will be used in nursing homes, like the high-tech baby seal Paro, which has been used in hospitals and nursing homes.
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Funding Opportunities
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:
Aging Research Dissertation Awards to Increase Diversity
Mechanisms, Measurement, and Management of Pain in Aging: from Molecular to Clinical
Clinical Trial Planning Grants for Critical Illness and Injury in Aging
For a more complete listing on the NIH funding available for aging-related research, please click here.
Geriatric Academic Career Awards
The purpose of the Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) is to promote the career development of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, dentists, pharmacists, and allied health professionals as academic faculty in geriatrics who spend 75 percent of their total time on teaching and developing skills in interdisciplinary education in geriatrics. Eligible applicants include schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, dentistry, and pharmacy or other allied health discipline in an accredited health professions school that is approved by the Secretary to apply on behalf of eligible individuals. For more information about the Geriatric Academic Career Awards, please click here: https://grants.hrsa.gov/webExternal/SFO.asp?ID=752BFB34-B024-493E-8E60-523619D93910.
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Resources
Health IT: The Road to Meaningful Use
April's issue of Health Affairs addresses Health Information Technology: The Road to Meaningful Use. The issue addresses the following: defining meaningful use, the future of health information technology in the patient-centered medical home, focus on quality, and many other informative articles concerning the development and use of information technology in the field.
Evidence Database on Aging Care
Recently, the Social Work Leadership Institute (SWLI) of the New York Academy of Medicine launched a new free database that may be helpful in efforts to translate social work practice into social work policy. The Evidence Database on Aging Care (EDAC) presents a comprehensive index of articles, all of which examine the impact of social work intervention and/or care coordination for older adults. Articles included were published in professional journals from the US and abroad, and represent the latest in social work innovation. This innovation will most effectively reach the public through the refinement of standing policy or the development of new policy, whether at the local, state or national level. EDAC assists with reviewing current empirical studies, so that policymakers can translate the data from clinical practice to functioning policy. You can visit the database at: http://www.searchedac.org/search.php.
Recent Releases by Terra Nova Films
Terra Nova Films is a distributor and producer of films dealing with diverse issues related to aging, including the various forms of elder abuse and neglect. Here are descriptions of two recent releases:
Self‐Neglect: What We Can Learn From the Mary Northern Case
This video documents the story of Mary Northern and examines its relevance for aging services. Mary Northern was a self‐neglecting older individual living in Nashville, Tennessee, who in the winter of 1978 was brought to the hospital with a gangrenous foot. She refused treatment, sparking guardianship proceedings, as well as legal action to initiate medical intervention. The video presents a panel of speakers from the medical, APS, mental health, and legal fields who offer their perspectives on the issues raised by the case. Issues examined include mental capacity, the importance of documentation, as well as the importance of service coordination. The film is co‐produced by Terra Nova films and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. (Run time: 99 minutes.)
A Mother Never Gives Up Hope: Older Mothers and Abusive Adult Sons
This video presents the stories of four older women who had been abused by their adult sons. The individuals describe their stories, touching on the emotions felt, as well as how they dealt with the abuse. The women are followed over the course of two years to see how their relationships with their sons have evolved. Included with the film is a training guide with discussion questions for use by advocates and group facilitators working with older women. The film is co‐produced by Terra Nova Films and the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life. (Run time: 42 minutes.)
Note: Now through July 31st, 2010, Terra Nova is offering a $20 discount on these two videos. To receive the discount, mention the code C64 when ordering. For more information on Terra Nova Films, to order, or to review the catalog of other elder abuse and aging video resources, visit them online, call 773‐881‐8491, or e‐mail: tnf@terranova.org
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Policy
Health Reform GPS Website Tracks Health Care Reform Implementation
The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have launched Health Reform GPS, a website that offers information and insights related to implementation of the new health care reform law. Health Reform GPS provides policymakers, journalists, researchers, policy analysts and others comprehensive information about health care reform, including regularly posted short essays, called "Health Reform Implementation Notes," that explain the changes made by the law, provide background, describe the federal implementation process and timetable, and identify the questions and challenges policymakers will be grappling with in the months ahead. Users will be able to comment on the information posted. For more information, visit: http://www.healthreformgps.org/?cid=xem-emc-ca.
Immigration: Could It Solve Social Security, Medicare Woes?
This year is the first year that Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes. In the face of our draining Social Security and Medicare funds, Robert Reich writing in The Christian Science Monitor, who has been a trustee of both funds, explores fostering more immigration as a method of helping to boost these funds again. What is a sustainable policy for the US? Expect more debates on this emerging topic.
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