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Ripples

The E-Newsletter of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI)
Volume 7 Issue 9
November 17, 2008

Upcoming Deadlines:
Hartford Doctoral Fellows: February 2, 2009
Hartford Faculty Scholars: February 2, 2009
Hartford Pre-Dissertation Awardees: May 1, 2009

In this Issue…
Announcements
Research & News
Funding Opportunities
Resources
Policy

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to the following….

• Letha Chadiha, National Research Mentor and Hartford Faculty Scholar Cohort I, for being awarded the 2008 TFMIG Outstanding Mentorship Award. The TFMIG Outstanding Mentorship Award recognizes individuals who have exemplified outstanding commitment and dedication to mentoring minority researchers in the field of aging. Dr. Chadiha will be honored during a special award presentation during GSA’s 61st annual scientific meeting November 21-25, 2008.

• Sharon Bowland, Hartford Doctoral Fellow Cohort VI, for being selected as the recipient of the 2009 Society for Social Work and Research Outstanding Dissertation Award for her dissertation entitled “Evaluation of a Psycho-Social-Spiritual Intervention With Older Women Survivors of Interpersonal Trauma”. Dr. Bowland will be presented with her award at the Presidential Awards Ceremony at the 2009 SSWR Conference January 15-18, 2009 in New Orleans, LA.

• Dan Kaplan, Hartford Pre-Dissertation Awardee Cohort IV, for being accepted into the Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) Fellows Program. The GIA Fellows Program was initiated in 1999 to provide outstanding graduate and post-doctoral students an opportunity to learn firsthand about some of the challenges and opportunities present in an aging society.

New Profiles in Social Work: Deborah Waldrop, Ph.D., MSW
Check out this month’s profiles in social work, featuring Deborah Waldrop, Ph.D., MSW. Profiles in social work is dedicated to highlighting social workers who have benefited from GSWI programs. To view this month’s profile, click here .

This is Social Work and Aging Youtube Contest Finalists Announced
The top ten video submissions from the Social Work and Aging Youtube Contest were featured at the Council on Social Work Education’s Annual Meeting October 30-November 2, 2008, Philadelphia, PA. To view the top ten videos, visit http://gswi.org/youtubetop10.html . The winner will be announced at the Gerontological Society of America’s scientific meeting November 21-25, 2008. This contest is sponsored by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGE-SW).

GSWI Exhibit at the 2008 GSA Annual Scientific Meeting
Please visit the GSWI exhibit booth during GSA’s annual meeting, November 21-24, at the Gaylord Hotel and Resort, National Harbor, MD. Program staff from the GSWI programs, as well as Hartford Faculty Scholars and Hartford Doctoral Fellows will be on hand to offer information on the Geriatric Social Work Initiative. If you are interested in the Pre-Dissertation Awardee, Doctoral Fellows or Faculty Scholars Programs, be sure to stop by the booth for a special invitation to the HGSWI Informational Breakfast.

Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care Conference
Yeshiva University, The Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN) and Columbia University’s School of Social Work will hold a Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care Conference on December 5, 2008. The conference explores the emerging roles and diverse skills social workers bring to the interdisciplinary palliative care team. For more information, visit http://www.yu.edu/wurzweiler/register/ .

National Aging and Law Conference
The 8th annual National Aging and Law Conference (NALC) will be held December 3-6, 2008 in Arlington, VA and is sponsored by AARP’s National Legal Training Project. The NALC conference features leading experts in the elder law community and will offer presentations and discourse on legal and social issues affecting older persons today such as Medicare and SSI reform, elder abuse and guardianship. For more information, click here .

RESEARCH & NEWS

Falls Prevention Strategies Examined
Each year, 1.8 million Americans over age 65 are injured in falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some rebound as if the injury never happened. But for some, the fall sets off a downward spiral of physical and emotional problems — including pneumonia, depression, social isolation, infection and muscle loss that become too much for their bodies to withstand. A recent article in the NY Times examines how physicians are identifying ways to cope with falls. For more information on fall prevention, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/preventadultfalls.htm .

AGS, NIA and the Hartford Foundation Explore Fatigue in Later Life
Leading researchers in the field of aging gathered recently at the American Geriatrics Society, National Institute on Aging and Hartford Foundation's "Bedside to Bench" Conference Series. The conference aimed to gather a further understanding of potential biological, psychological, and social contributors that lead to fatigue in older adults. To learn more, click here .

Exercise May Improve Function in Dementia Patients
A recent article in the International Journal of Sport Medicine found that exercise designed to increase strength, flexibility, mobility and coordination may improve overall physical function among nursing home patients with Alzheimer's disease. Researcher’s from Spain conducted a study which compared the outcomes of 16 AD patients who were randomly assigned to receive normal care involving no exercise to those who received a12-week exercise program as part of their nursing home care. The exercise group had significant improvements in measures of upper and lower body strength and flexibility; agility and balance; walking abilities; and endurance. Exercise participants also showed greater ability to independently perform activities of daily living such as rising from a chair, transferring from bed to chair, bathing, or dressing. For more information, click here .

Study Finds Many Seniors Use Internet for Social Networking
A new study found that 51% of Canadians over the age of 60 are using the internet. The Canadian Internet Project recently released findings from the study, which looked at how people used new technologies such as the Internet and traditional media between 2004 and 2007. The study revealed that seniors weren’t only using the internet for emailing or to gather information. Many seniors were going online to get onto social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. To read more, click here .

Seniors Struggle in Weakening Economy
A new report from the Urban Institute examines how the slumping stock market, falling housing prices, and weakening economy are having serious repercussions for older adults who are approaching retirement or are already retired. Older Americans have little time to recoup the values of their homes, 401(k) plans, and individual retirement accounts. While more of them are working to bolster their retirement incomes, the rising unemployment rate limits their prospects, researchers state. Click here to view the report.

US Dept. of Health and Human Services Strengthens Initiative to Help Hispanic Seniors with Diabetes
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Patient Education Research Center at the Stanford University School of Medicine to increase the number of diabetes self-management training programs in the United States. This collaboration has a particular focus on Hispanic people with Medicare and supports HHS’ Interagency Hispanic Elder Initiative. The initiative, launched in 2007 by the department’s Administration on Aging (AoA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), seeks to improve the health of Hispanic senior populations, particularly diabetes. Click here for more information.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

CSWE Gero-Ed Center Announces Specialized Gerontology Funding
The CSWE Gero-Ed Center is now accepting applications for a new specialized gerontology funding opportunity for up to 20 CSWE-accredited BSW, MSW, or combined BSW/MSW programs that have gero content currently infused in foundation courses. Selected programs will receive up to $10,000 over two years (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2011), to develop competency-based aging-specific curriculum via the Specialized Gerontology (“Gero”) Program. The Specialized Gero Program provides faculty with the resources to develop, implement, and institutionalize gerontological competencies at the generalist and advanced levels of practice—as a minor, area of emphasis, certificate, specialization, or concentration.Visit the Specialized Gero Program page on the Gero-Ed Center Web site to download and review the RFP and for additional information.

Grant Opportunities from the Dr. Scholl Foundation
The Dr. Scholl Foundation is a private, independent grant-making foundation created for charitable purposes. Established by William M. Scholl, M.D., originator of Dr. Scholl foot care products, the foundation is currently accepting proposals from organizations that are committed to improving our world.  Preference areas include programs for senior citizens, civic and cultural institutions, social service agencies, hospitals and health care, private education including elementary, secondary, college and university level. Applications can be submitted beginning November 1. To learn more and to download an application, please visit http://www.drschollfoundation.com/.

NIH Announces New T-R01 Funding Program
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to invest more than $250 million over the next five years to foster bold and creative investigator-initiated research through a new transformative R01 (T-R01) Program. While R01 grants support the bulk of mainstream NIH investigator-initiated efforts, the structure and review of R01 proposals can discourage submission of the most bold, creative, and risky research proposals. In response to these challenges, the NIH has created the T-R01 Program. Review criteria will focus on a project’s transformative potential. The NIH plans to fund the first cohort of T-R01 awards in 2009 and hopes to announce to continue the program again in 2010. Applications for the new five-year grants are now being accepted. Click here, for additional information.

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Announces Two Funding Opportunities
The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR) is soliciting proposals for the Steven H. Sandell Grant Program for Junior Scholars in Retirement Research. The program's purpose is to promote post-doctoral research on retirement issues by junior scholars in a wide variety of academic disciplines, including actuarial science, demography, economics, finance, gerontology, political science, public administration, public policy, sociology, social work, and statistics. Grant awards will be up to $45,000 for each successful applicant. In addition to this program, the CRR announces the 2009 Dissertation Fellowship Program for research on retirement income and disability insurance issues. The program supports doctoral candidates writing dissertations on retirement income and disability insurance issues and awards up to six fellowships of $28,000. Both programs are funded by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

RESOURCES

NIA Releases Alzheimer’s Update
The US National Institute on Aging (NIA), Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center has recently updated it’s 2003 publication "Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery." The new edition describes the basics of the healthy brain; focuses on changes that occur in a brain affected by AD; highlights findings from recent NIA-funded research into the causes of AD, new developments in diagnosis, and the search for new treatments; and addresses issues of concern to AD caregivers and families. To view the publication, click here.

Health Disparities Research Persons Network Launched
NIA’s new web-based Health Disparities Research Persons Network (HDRPN) consists of research professionals in aging, geriatrics and gerontology, works to address health disparities and improve the health status of racial, ethnic and disadvantaged older adults. The goal of this web tool is for network members to provide technical and capacity-building assistance to community organizations, early career scientists and institutions seeking guidance in starting or advancing initiatives in aging research including subject recruitment efforts for diverse and underserved populations in aging research.  Network members will include experts with significant experience in aging research, minority health, health disparities, and recruiting and retaining older subjects from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds for research. To view and join the HDRPN, click here.

World Health Organization Issues Report on Aging Myths
The United Nation’s World Health Organization just released a report entitled “Demystifying the Myths of Aging.” The report indicates how certain problems associated with old age can be largely attributed to myths surrounding the aging process and shows how many of these problems could be effectively tackled through changing lifestyles, providing appropriate care and adjusting the social, working and physical environments. The report can be viewed here.

National Institute of Health’s Website for Seniors
The NIH website SeniorHealth.gov offers up-to-date medical information, tips for healthy living, and inspiring stories of older adults who are coping with diseases or conditions of aging. The site features articles, videos and training tools for geriatric professionals as well. Visit www.nihseniorhealth.gov for more information.

POLICY

White House Proclaims November as National Family Caregivers Month
On October 29, 2008 President George W. Bush issued a proclamation declaring November National Family Caregivers Month.  The President stated, “This is a month to recognize and honor those family members and friends who provide care to an older adult or a sick or disabled loved one.  During this month and always, we encourage caregivers to take time out for themselves and their own well-being.”  For more information, click here.

$5.1 Billion for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has released $5.1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) under the Fiscal Year 2009 Continuing Resolution. The funds will assist eligible low-income households in meeting their heating and other energy needs this winter. Millions of disadvantaged Americans such as seniors will now be eligible to receive the funds. See a list of state allocations for LIHEAP funds.

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Ripples, an e-newsletter designed to keep interested deans and directors, faculty members, students, practitioners and others informed about the work of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI). We welcome your feedback and encourage you to contribute any story ideas, stories, resources, news and other content to subsequent issues of the newsletter. To make a contribution, please contact Katherine Carter, Program Coordinator at kcarter@geron.org. If you have been forwarded this newsletter by a colleague and would like to subscribe, please reply to this e-mail and type the word “subscribe” in the subject line. Please be sure to visit our website at www.gswi.org. This newsletter has been sent from The Gerontological Society of America, 1220 L Street, NW, Suite 901, Washington, DC 20005-4018. To unsubscribe to Ripples, click here and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.