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When Does Aging Begin? Part 3

December 16, 2020

“When does aging begin?” is a fundamental question whose answers will help inform all aspects of research, clinical practice and healthcare policy. There is an emerging consensus on an answer that is broad but captures some of the uncertainty at present: Aging begins before we observe it or experience it. Investigators who study the life course of aging and from the emerging field of geroscience will make brief presentations of their hypotheses and then challenge or seek to modify each other’s proposals through a guided panel discussion. Importantly, there will be consideration of how the hypotheses could be supported experimentally. It is hoped that the outcomes might stimulate new understanding and insightful areas of research.

Presented by:

  • James DeGregori, PhD, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Colorado
  • Mark F. Mehler, MD, FAAN, FANA, Alpern Professor and University Chairman, The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Director, Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Senior Investigator, Rose F. Kennedy Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Gottesman Stem Cell Institute, Einstein Cancer Center, Center for Epigenomics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

This three-part webinar series is organized by NIH, in conjunction with the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online.

Medication Data and the Next Generation of Dried Blood Assessment in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP Advancing Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Series, in conjunction with the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online)

December 14, 2020

This webinar focuses on the medication data, dried blood spot assays, and social network survey responses in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a longitudinal study that contributes to finding new ways to improve health as people age. Studies regarding polypharmacy and the social (and behavioral) dimensions of the adoption of supplements and prescribed medications will be discussed. The presenters will also illustrate how these data may be used to determine the use, underuse, and unsafe use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements as well as the presence of diagnosed and undiagnosed conditions such as diabetes.

Presented by:

  • Elbert Huang, MD, MPH, FACP, Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for Chronic Disease Research and Policy, Section of General Internal Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine
  • Dima M. Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD, Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor, Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Director, Program on Medicines and Public Health, Senior Fellow, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California
  • L. Philip Schumm, MA, Director, Research Computing Group, Senior Biostatistician, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago
  • Linda Waite, PhD (moderator), George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Senior Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago, Principal Investigator, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project
  • Louise Hawkley, PhD (moderator), Senior Research Scientist, Academic Research Centers, NORC at the University of Chicago, Co-Investigator, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project

When Does Aging Begin? Part 2

November 23, 2020

“When does aging begin?” is a fundamental question whose answers will help inform all aspects of research, clinical practice and healthcare policy. There is an emerging consensus on an answer that is broad but captures some of the uncertainty at present: Aging begins before we observe it or experience it. Investigators who study the life course of aging and from the emerging field of geroscience will make brief presentations of their hypotheses and then challenge or seek to modify each other’s proposals through a guided panel discussion. Importantly, there will be consideration of how the hypotheses could be supported experimentally. It is hoped that the outcomes might stimulate new understanding and insightful areas of research.

Presented by:

  • Elissa Epel, PhD, University of California — San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry ("When Does Aging Begin? When There is Toxic Stress, There is Aging")
  • Anne B. Newman, MD, MPH, Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Katherine M. Detre Endowed Chair of Population Health Sciences, Director, Center for Aging and Population Health, Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology, Professor of Medicine, and Clinical and Translational Science, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Clinical Director, Aging Institute of UPMC and Pitt ("When Does Aging Begin? Detecting Physiologic Aging in Midlife")

This three-part webinar series is organized by NIH, in conjunction with the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online.

Raising Adult Immunization Rates — Using Routine Vaccination to Prepare for COVID-19

November 19, 2020

Adult immunization rates dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic as patients and health care professionals delayed in-person visits for routine care based on national health guidance. Influenza season presents an important opportunity to vaccinate not only with flu vaccine, but other routine adult vaccinations in both medical offices and pharmacies. Focusing on vaccination processes will not only protect patients but provide a test run for safely delivering and administering an eventual COVID-19 vaccine. This webinar will cover:

  • Age-related decline in immunity;
  • Vaccine recommendations for older adults; and
  • Practical strategies to support a strong recommendation for vaccines, including ways to address common questions or hesitancy

Presented by:

  • Stephan L. Foster, PharmD, Captain (Retired), USPHS
  • Steven Peskin, MD, MBA, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Elie Saade, MD, University Hospitals of Cleveland

This program was jointly developed by GSA, the American College of Physicians, and the American Pharmacists Association with support from GSK.

When Does Aging Begin? Part 1

November 12, 2020

“When does aging begin?” is a fundamental question whose answers will help inform all aspects of research, clinical practice and healthcare policy. There is an emerging consensus on an answer that is broad but captures some of the uncertainty at present: Aging begins before we observe it or experience it. Investigators who study the life course of aging and from the emerging field of geroscience will make brief presentations of their hypotheses and then challenge or seek to modify each other’s proposals through a guided panel discussion. Importantly, there will be consideration of how the hypotheses could be supported experimentally. It is hoped that the outcomes might stimulate new understanding and insightful areas of research.

Presented by:

  • Daniel W Belsky, PhD, Columbia University, The Robert N, Butler Columbia Aging Center ("When Does Aging Begin? How Geroscience Can Help Us Understand and Address Social Gradients in Health")
  • Vadim Gladyshev, PhD, Department of Medicine, Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital ("When Does Aging Begin? The Embryonic Ground Zero")

This three-part webinar series is organized by NIH, in conjunction with the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online.

Aging Policy and the 2020 Election Results

November 9, 2020

With the presidential and congressional election results extremely fresh in our minds, this panel will look at potential ramifications for aging and health policy. As advocates prepare to submit policy analyses and proposals to the Administration’s team, the speakers for this session will address how the Administration and Congress should and will likely address issues of COVID-19, economic security, long-term supports and services, Social Security and Medicare, and other policies and programs serving older Americans. Key changes in Congress, the Administration, and congressional committees will also be identified and explained.

Presented by:

  • Brian W. Lindberg, MMHS (Chair), GSA Policy Advisor
  • Robert (Bob) Blancato, MPA, President of Matz, Blancato and Associates
  • Jean C. Accius, PhD, Senior Vice President, AARP Global Thought Leadership
  • C. Grace Whiting, JD, President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving

Program Organizer: Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, GSA Vice President, Professional Affairs

Equity, Justice, and Inclusion for Older Workers: Recommendations and Solutions, Part 2: Systems of Inequality Affecting Older Workers

October 29, 2020

Topic 1: Identifying Malleable Barriers to Engage Underserved Minority Middle-Aged and Older Adult Learners in Adult Educational Opportunities
Despite the growing need for adult education and training opportunities globally, opportunities to engage in adult education and training are most often pursued by higher-income or higher-skilled adults. Engaging and retaining adult learners in education and training among underserved racial/ethnic minority middle-aged and older adults are often challenging due to the structural barriers (e.g., program costs). This segment of the webinar will describe a study whose purpose was to identify barriers to engaging and retaining adult learners among underserved minority middle-aged and older adult groups. Through semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 60 key informants representing Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Deductive qualitative descriptive methods revealed the need for recruitment efforts tailored to support adult workers, while also emphasizing the importance of multiple learning forms, including formal, nonformal, and informal learning. The presenters will provide recommendations to promote the inclusion of underserved subpopulations in learning opportunities.

Presented by:

  • Nytasia Hicks, MSW, PhD candidate in the Social Gerontology Program at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
  • Phyllis A. Cummins, PhD, Senior Research Scholar at Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
  • Takashi Yamashita, PhD, MPH, MA, Associate Professor of Sociology and faculty in the Doctoral Program in Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Topic 2: Older Adult Peer Specialists’ Role in Offsetting the Impact of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Older adults with mental health conditions experience disproportionate risk from the COVID-19 pandemic and are more likely to have been homeless, to reside in a group setting, or to have been cared for at nursing facilities. Increasing fear during the pandemic can lead to gaps in communication and delays in medical care, particularly when isolated from community advocates. Older adult peer specialists are a Medicaid reimbursable workforce with a lived experience of aging with mental health issues; they have shown to improve clinical outcomes such as feelings of loneliness as well as behavioral health issues such as depression and anxiety—all of which are on the rise due to COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adult peer specialists are using technology to deliver digital peer support services related to addressing both the mental health and physical health needs of older adults. With the projected increase in behavioral health problems resulting from the pandemic, policies need to be created to incorporate older adult peer specialists into the existing workforce of behavioral health providers.

Presented by:

  • Mbita Mbao, LICSW, PhD candidate in the School of Social Work at Simmons University
  • Karen L. Fortuna, PhD, LICSW, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth College

Topic 3: Microlearning for Low-Wage Workers in Nursing Homes
Direct care work in nursing homes is characterized by low wages, few benefits, heavy workloads, high rates of injury, and few opportunities for advancement. Because nursing homes are fast-paced environments that are faced with both rising acuity of residents (e.g., increasing numbers of residents with dementia) and high rates of staff turnover and “working short,” the time and resources for education and training are limited. Additionally, the women of color and immigrants, who comprise the majority of the direct care workforce, struggle with barriers to education, including low educational attainment, poor quality secondary education, foreign credentials, second jobs, and English fluency problems. Further, mid-level workers in nursing homes—licensed practical and registered nurses—require higher level credentialing that is out of reach for the majority of direct care workers. While it is clear that these workers need access to continuing education and diverse educational and career pathways, delivering this education requires innovation and creativity to address multiple layers of barriers. This segment of the webinar will discuss data from a statewide survey of nursing home staff and will provide access to microlearning videos aimed at supporting educators within nursing centers to fit learning into short huddles and in-service opportunities within these fast-paced environments. The presenters will discuss their research findings that suggest direct care workers are open to additional training but face persistent barriers to accessing and accruing rewards to training.

Presented by:

  • Jennifer Craft Morgan, PhD, Associate Professor at the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University
  • Elisabeth O. Burgess, PhD, FGSA, Director of the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University, and Professor of Gerontology and Sociology.

Over the last two decades, the phrase “aging and work” has evolved from its status as an oxymoron to a well-understood reality. It is now clearly recognized that the three-legged stool of retirement security (i.e., employer-sponsored pensions, Social Security in the United States, and individual savings) is rickety at best. More people need to work beyond conventional retirement ages to sustain their financial security in the face of longer lives and growing expenses. This need is paramount for older adults in general, but even greater for low-income, racial and ethnic minority, and blue-collar older workers. While perceived and/or real age discrimination has been identified as a factor limiting options for older adults, less is known about factors that mitigate against such perceptions of unfairness and injustice. This two-part webinar series from The Gerontological Society of America aims to: (1) identify the challenges of underrepresented older workers in their efforts to obtain or retain employment and (2) identify strategies for overcoming those challenges for people who either want or need to work in later life.

Series organized by:

  • Jacquelyn B. James, PhD, FGSA, Director of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, and Co-director of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College
  • Kendra Jason, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and member of the Steering Committee for the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work.

Making Our Research, Practice, and Academic Knowledge Relevant in the Policymaking Arena

October 22, 2020

This webinar, organized by the GSA Public Policy Advisory Panel, will provide an opportunity to better understand the role that GSA and its members play in public policy and will include a dialogue around the value of making this a part of our work. Brian Lindberg, GSA’s Public Policy Advisor, will moderate the panel and will frame the discussion on the importance of GSA members using their research, practice, and academic skills and knowledge to educate and influence aging and health care policymakers at both the federal and state levels. This will be followed by interviews with three researchers to discuss how policy perspectives can be integrated in their work. The researchers, each representing a different substantive area in aging, will provide their perspectives on how to identify and elucidate the policy relevance of their research and other work. Linda Harootyan, who chairs the GSA Public Policy Advisory Panel, will serve as discussant.

Presented by:

  • Steven Austad, PhD, FGSA, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
  • Martha R. Crowther, PhD, MPH, Tenured Professor, University of Alabama (UAB) College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS), Department of Community Medicine and Population Health and the Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine
  • Darina V. Petrovsky, PhD, RN, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, funded by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship
  • Brian W. Lindberg, MMHS (Moderator), GSA Public Policy Advisor
  • Linda K. Harootyan, MSW, FGSA (Discussant), Co-Principal, Harootyan2

The Intersection of Aging and COVID-19

October 20, 2020

Join us for a webinar and public facing address that will involve experts in Biology of Aging, Immunology and Infectious Disease, and Clinical Geriatrics. Our goal is to explore the basis for the profound skew in vulnerability to COVID-19 where older individuals are at much greater risk of succumbing to disease with much higher mortality rates than for the population at large. This session is designed to be translational, spanning the spectrum of aging including each of the sections within GSA.

Presented by:

  • Rozalyn Anderson, PhD (moderator), Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
  • Brian K. Kennedy, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS, Singapore, Director of National University Health System (NUHS) Centre for Healthy Ageing, Singapore, Professor, Buck Institute for Research on Ageing, Novato, CA, USA
  • R. Tamara Konetzka, PhD, Professor, Departments of Public Health Sciences and Medicine Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago
  • David Melzer, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Professor, University of Connecticut Center on Aging
  • Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, Department Head and Professor, Immunobiology, Co-Director, Arizona Center on Aging, The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tuscon

The program is jointly planned by the American Aging Association (AGE) and GSA. As part of the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting Online, this program is supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1 R13 AG067648-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.  Funding is also provided by Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center.

Geriatric Oral Health and COVID-19: Old Problems, New Challenges, Part 2: Case Studies (GSA Momentum Discussions Series)

October 16, 2020

Join the Oral Health Interest Group of The Gerontological Society of America for a pair of information-packed GSA Momentum Discussions exploring the challenges of providing oral health care to older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging solutions with the potential to change practice forever.

Older adults have faced problems with access and affordability of essential oral health care for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this already-bad situation as well as created new problems. Creative strategies and resources are needed to help older adults realize the importance of oral health to their overall health and help them feel comfortable when they need preventive or restorative oral care. Innovations with teledentistry can help triage potential problems in long-term care facilities and in some cases enable treatment in an environment that is safe and reassuring for the patient.

GSA’s Oral Health Workgroup has assembled a distinguished team of experts to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the oral health of older adults. In these Momentum Discussions, panelists will engage participants on how the interprofessional health care team can help older adults and care partners address geriatric oral health issues in the community and long-term care facilities, additional research opportunities that may emerge post-COVID-19, and real-world innovations for improving oral health care for older adults in the COVID-19 era and beyond.

Presented by:

  • Michael J. Helgeson, DDS, Apple Tree Dental (Successes and Challenges With Teledentistry: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic)
  • Jeffrey E. Dodge, DMD (Pearls From the Pandemic: Experiences in Oral Health Practice and Long-Term Care)
  • Samuel Zwetchkenbaum, DDS, MPH (Pearls From the Pandemic: Experiences in Oral Health Practice and Long-Term Care)
  • Stephen Shuman, DDS, MS, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry (Moderator)

This webinar is supported by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Click to view Part 1: Issues and Research Opportunities. (link to YouTube)

Sensory Functioning and the Remote Assessment of Biological and Performance Measures in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP Advancing Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Series, in conjunction with the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online)

October 15, 2020

All five senses are objectively assessed in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a longitudinal population-based study of health and social factors that aims to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans. In this webinar, the presenters will describe how these data have been used to examine the role of specific and global sensory deficits in predicting aging health outcomes such as cognitive decline and mortality. The presenters will also describe a range of biological and performance measures that NSHAP has developed or modified for remote (self-) administration along with preliminary data regarding their feasibility and quality.

Presented by:

  • Jayant Pinto, MD, Professor of Surgery, Director, Rhinology and Allergy, Director, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Research, University of Chicago Medicine
  • Martha K. McClintock, PhD, David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, Departments of Psychology and Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
  • L. Philip Schumm, MA, Director, Research Computing Group, Senior Biostatistician, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago
  • Linda Waite, PhD (moderator), George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Senior Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago, Principal Investigator, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project
  • Louise Hawkley, PhD (moderator), Senior Research Scientist, Academic Research Centers, NORC at the University of Chicago, Co-Investigator, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Collaborating Sites Data Sources
(HIV and Aging: Data Access, Availability, and Research Funding Opportunities Webinar Series)

October 14, 2020

Continued research on HIV prevention and intervention among older adults is crucial as people aged 50 years and older accounted for 17% of new infections in 2016, approximately 50% of all people living with HIV in the United States are in this age group, and people are living longer with HIV owing to improvements in antiretroviral therapy in the past several years. Therefore, this webinar series covers access to multiple data sources and their availability, which can be used to answer important research questions in HIV and aging. In addition, this webinar series reports on funding opportunities for HIV and aging research, which will help to provide support in advancing research in this area.

Presented by:

  • Robert Heaton, PhD, ABPP-CN Director, HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center; Co-PI, CNS HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy Effects Research Study; Co-Investigator, Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center, Behavioral Assessment Core
  • Scott Letendre, MD Co-Director, HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center; Co-PI, CNS HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy Effects Research Study; Co-Investigator, Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center, Behavioral Assessment Core
  • Jennifer Iudicello, PhD Center Manager, HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center; Co-Investigator, Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center, Behavioral Assessment Core; Principal Investigator, Identification of Biomarkers of CNS Injury and Resilience related to HIV-1 and Methamphetamine
  • David Moore, PhD Principal Investigator, California NeuroAIDS Tissue Network; Chair, Neuropsychology Workgroup, National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium; Co-PI, Multi-Dimensional Successful Aging Among HIV-Infected Adults

This webinar series, which is hosted by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), has been organized by the GSA HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults Interest Group and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Inter-CFAR HIV and Aging Working Group.

Geriatric Oral Health and COVID-19: Old Problems, New Challenges, Part 1: Issues and Research Opportunities (GSA Momentum Discussions Series)

October 9, 2020

Join the Oral Health Interest Group of The Gerontological Society of America for a pair of information-packed GSA Momentum Discussions exploring the challenges of providing oral health care to older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging solutions with the potential to change practice forever.

Older adults have faced problems with access and affordability of essential oral health care for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this already-bad situation as well as created new problems. Creative strategies and resources are needed to help older adults realize the importance of oral health to their overall health and help them feel comfortable when they need preventive or restorative oral care. Innovations with teledentistry can help triage potential problems in long-term care facilities and in some cases enable treatment in an environment that is safe and reassuring for the patient.

GSA’s Oral Health Workgroup has assembled a distinguished team of experts to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the oral health of older adults. In these Momentum Discussions, panelists will engage participants on how the interprofessional health care team can help older adults and care partners address geriatric oral health issues in the community and long-term care facilities, additional research opportunities that may emerge post-COVID-19, and real-world innovations for improving oral health care for older adults in the COVID-19 era and beyond.

Presented by:

  • Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, John A. Hartford Foundation (Impact of COVID-19 on Geriatric Health & Well-being)
  • Leonardo Marchini, DDS, MSD, PhD, University of Iowa (COVID-19 Geriatric Oral Health Issues)
  • Bei Wu, PhD, New York University (Emerging Geriatric Oral Health Research Needs in the COVID-19 Era)
  • Stephen Shuman, DDS, MS, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry (Moderator)

This webinar is supported by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Click to view Part 2: Case Studies (link to YouTube)

Cognitive Function, Physical Function, and Accelerometry in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP Advancing Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Series, in conjunction with the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online)

October 1, 2020

This webinar features the cognitive function, physical function, and accelerometry measures in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a longitudinal study to increase understanding of the mechanisms through which the trajectories of social connectivity and health are intertwined in the aging American population. The presenters will provide an overview of how each measure is assessed as well as examples of how each of these measures has been used to study the intersection of cognitive, physical, and social health among older adults. Additionally, special analytic considerations when using these measures will be presented to guide potential data users.

Presented by:

  • Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Associate Director, Aging Research Program, Co-Director, Successful Aging and Frailty Evaluation Clinic, Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine
  • Ashwin Kotwal, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
  • L. Philip Schumm, MA, Director, Research Computing Group, Senior Biostatistician, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago
  • Linda Waite, PhD (moderator), George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Senior Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago, Principal Investigator, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project
  • Louise Hawkley, PhD (moderator), Senior Research Scientist, Academic Research Centers, NORC at the University of Chicago, Co-Investigator, National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project

Equity, Justice, and Inclusion for Older Workers: Recommendations and Solutions, Part 1: Enhancing Economic Security for Older Low-Wage Workers

September 30, 2020

Older workers are an often overlooked segment of the low-wage labor force. In this webinar, Mary Gatta, PhD, will share the experiences of older workers in the United States hospitality industry, including the factors shaping what it means to grow old while working in economic insecurity such as facing race- and gender-based inequities, health hazards associated with work, and housing concerns. In addition, the ways that larger social and economic policies can fail this group of workers will be examined.

Presented by:

  • Mary Gatta, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology at the City University of New York–Guttman

Over the last two decades, the phrase “aging and work” has evolved from its status as an oxymoron to a well-understood reality. It is now clearly recognized that the three-legged stool of retirement security (i.e., employer-sponsored pensions, Social Security in the United States, and individual savings) is rickety at best. More people need to work beyond conventional retirement ages to sustain their financial security in the face of longer lives and growing expenses. This need is paramount for older adults in general, but even greater for low-income, racial and ethnic minority, and blue-collar older workers. While perceived and/or real age discrimination has been identified as a factor limiting options for older adults, less is known about factors that mitigate against such perceptions of unfairness and injustice. This two-part webinar series from The Gerontological Society of America aims to: (1) identify the challenges of underrepresented older workers in their efforts to obtain or retain employment and (2) identify strategies for overcoming those challenges for people who either want or need to work in later life.

Series organized by:

  • Jacquelyn B. James, PhD, FGSA, Director of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, and Co-director of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College
  • Kendra Jason, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and member of the Steering Committee for the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work

Navigating the Job Market During and Beyond the COVID-19 Era
(GSA Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Professional Development Webinar Series)

September 25, 2020

Are you currently planning to enter the job market? Are you interested in learning some ways to navigate a highly competitive job market during and post the COVID-19 pandemic? How can you use this time strategically to effectively prepare for the next steps in your career? The events of recent months have created dramatic shifts to life as we know it and early career scholars will find that it can impact their research, career plans, and where they will end up next. In this timely webinar, emerging scholars will learn how to overcome the challenges of a highly competitive job market and how to best set up for success. Webinar attendees will hear from two skilled professionals, who will share their experiences, lessons learned, and practical advice about how to effectively plan for and be most prepared for an increasingly difficult job market.

Presented by:

  • Justin Lord, PhD, MBA, CMA, FHFMA, Assistant Professor with dual appointments in the Department of Accounting and the James K. Elrod Health Administration Department, College of Business at Louisiana State University–Shreveport (LSUS).
  • Bei Wu, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE, FNYAM, Dean’s Professor in Global Health and Director for Global Health and Aging Research, New York University (NYU) Rory Meyers College of Nursing

This webinar is supported by the GSA Innovation Fund.

GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online Speaker Procedures

September 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2020

To help you become more familiar with the presentation (slides and audio) process for posters, papers and symposia, GSA offered a “How To” webinar multiple times the week of September 21 to 25. This 1-hour webinar will outline the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online structure, describe the various presentation formats, and explain the tasks required for presenters.

Presented by:

  • James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, ScD (Hon), Chief Executive Officer, The Gerontological Society of America
  • Megan McCutcheon, MA, Director of Publishing and Professional Resources, The Gerontological Society of America
  • Andrew Alix, Meetings Coordinator, The Gerontological Society of America

Understanding the Value of Enhanced Influenza Vaccine Products in Long-Term Care Settings

September 17, 2020

There are many benefits to preventing flu transmission in long-term care settings yet only about two-thirds of nursing home residents receive annual influenza vaccinations—one of the best known preventive strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has further amplified the need for effective infection control in these settings. Compared with standard-dose influenza vaccines, enhanced influenza vaccines are not only more effective in preventing disease in older adults, they also provide a higher return on investment. This webinar is designed to help nursing home administrators, infection control teams, and other long-term care staff to (1) understand the benefits of using enhanced influenza vaccine products in residents and (2) learn practical tips that can help leadership and staff consistently apply immunization practices.

Presented by:

  • R. Gordon Douglas, MD, Chair, National Adult Vaccination Program Workgroup; Professor Emeritus, Weill Cornell Medical College (Moderator)
  • David H. Canaday, MD, Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University; Associate Director, Geriatric, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center; Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
  • Sherry A. Greenberg, PhD, RN, GNP-BC, FGSA, FAANP, FAAN, Associate Professor, Seton Hall University College of Nursing; President-Elect, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association
  • Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, Professor, University of Maryland School of Nursing; Co-Director, Biology and Behavior Across the Lifespan Organized Research Center; Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology

This program was jointly developed by GSA, the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, and AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, with support from Sanofi.

Common Data Elements for Workforce and Staffing in International Long‐Term Care Research

September 2, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the critical need to transform long-term care (LTC). Worldwide Elements To Harmonize Research In LTC liVing Environments (WE-THRIVE) is a LTC research initiative to identify LTC common data elements (CDEs) that can be used internationally to support older adult thriving in LTC. To date, WE-THRIVE has identified four key measurement domains: workforce and staffing, person-centered care, organizational context, and care outcomes. This is the second GSA webinar in the series on WE-THRIVE.

Addressing major challenges faced by LTC providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the webinar will focus on the “workforce and staffing” measurement domain and the work completed by this WE-THRIVE subgroup of researchers. The presenters will describe the concepts and proposed CDEs related to staff retention and turnover, evaluating nursing supervisor effectiveness, and staff training, with insights and lessons learned during the pandemic. International research on LTC can valuably inform LTC policy and practice, and the proposed CDEs can facilitate data sharing and aggregation internationally, including low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The proposed CDEs address key challenges to support LTC workforce and staffing to support the delivery of person-centered care and the achievement of person-centered outcomes.

Presented by:

  • Charlene Chu, PhD, RN, GNC(C), Assistant Professor, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, cross-appointment at Institute for Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto, Canada
  • Franziska Zúñiga, PhD, RN, FEANS, Head of Education, Institute for Nursing Sciences, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Switzerland
  • Michael Lepore, PhD, Vice President of the LiveWell Institute, Farmington, CT, USA, & Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

Other entries:

Understanding Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza, and COVID-19: Preparing for the Fall

August 31, 2020

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, causes 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths in older adults each year. Those over 65, adults with chronic heart or lung disease, and adults with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Yet RSV remains underdiagnosed.

In this one-hour webinar, experts will answer questions about RSV and how to prepare for the fall, when influenza and COVID-19 will be co-circulating. Participants will understand RSV and its impact on older adults; the challenges of distinguishing between RSV, influenza, and COVID-19; and how to keep older adults healthy with so many respiratory viruses circulating, particularly in a long-term care facility. Speakers will address gaps in understanding and research opportunities, as well as what gives them optimism for the fall respiratory illness season.

Presented by:

  • Robin Jump, MD, PhD – Case Western Reserve University, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
  • Lindsay Kim, MD, MPH – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Helen “Keipp” Talbot, MD, MPH – Vanderbilt University Medical Center

This webinar is supported by Johnson and Johnson Health Systems, Inc. Content is developed by GSA.

NIH Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS)
(HIV and Aging: Data Access, Availability, and Research Funding Opportunities Webinar Series)

August 28, 2020

Michael Saag, MD, Principal Investigator, will present the CFAR Network of Clinical Integrated Systems (CNICS) cohort. CNICS, established in 2002, is a clinic-based research network that captures clinical management and outcomes from point-of-care HIV clinics at 8 CFAR sites. It is an open access research platform containing pooled, de-indentified, data from electronic medical records of over 36,000 PLWH that are linked to patient reported outcomes, geospatial, genetics, and ARV resistance data, all linked to biologic specimens. The platform is available to investigators worldwide with an approved concept proposal.

Presented by:

  • Michael Saag, MD, Principal Investigator, CNICS

Continued research on HIV prevention and intervention among older adults is crucial as people aged 50 years and older accounted for 17% of new infections in 2016, approximately 50% of all people living with HIV in the United States are in this age group, and people are living longer with HIV owing to improvements in antiretroviral therapy in the past several years. Therefore, this webinar series covers access to multiple data sources and their availability, which can be used to answer important research questions in HIV and aging. In addition, this webinar series reports on funding opportunities for HIV and aging research, which will help to provide support in advancing research in this area.

This webinar series, which is hosted by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), has been organized by the GSA HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults Interest Group and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Inter-CFAR HIV and Aging Working Group.

Other entries:

Reframing Aging: A Primer for Health Care Professionals

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

As healthcare professionals working on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic, you are confronted daily with communication choices. Research by the FrameWorks Institute on aging and ageism shows that words matter. This webinar presented by the Reframing Aging Initiative will cover four ideas to keep in mind when talking about older people and health equity in health care settings during the pandemic.

Presented by:

Longevity Fitness: Financial and Health Dimensions Across the Life Course (GSA Momentum Discussions Series)

July 29, 2020

“Longevity Fitness” is the term used in the GSA report, "Longevity Fitness: Financial and Health Dimensions Across the Life Course" describing how people can thrive by matching their Health Spans, Wealth Spans, and Life Spans as they enjoy increasingly long lives. Transitions commonly associated with advancing age—work disruptions, physical decline, dementia—can be better managed when a person has planned for the social support, financial means, and health resources needed to compensate for aging-related physical and cognitive changes. As people age, chronic diseases accumulate and reduce the ability to carry out the necessary activities of daily life. When a person also is lacking in social support, financial resources, or access to health care, the result of declining functional ability is a downward and potentially irreversible spiral. Insecurities in life—including uncertainty about food, housing, transportation, health care, or safety—exacerbate this situation, leading people to live in isolation or poverty and to be unable to seek the interventions they need for maintaining health and ultimately their ability to take care of themselves. In this webinar, experts in the field will exchange ideas about the concept of Longevity Fitness and insights into positive aging across the life course. For more information on longevity economics and longevity fitness, see www.geron.org/longevity.

Presented by:

  • Peter A. Lichtenberg, PhD, ABPP, FGSA, Wayne State University, Institute of Gerontology
  • Mary D. Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, New Courtland Center for Transitions and Health, University of Pennsylvania

Supported by Bank of America.

Aging Native American, Rural, and Homeless Populations: Engagement and Advocacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

July 22, 2020

The COVID-19 public health crisis is perilously affecting all sectors of life, including services for older adults. Most gravely affected by this crisis have been some of the most vulnerable among us—marginalized older adult populations. The impact of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of various responses among these disparate populations are seldom considered in a common frame and in relation to each other. This webinar brings together community and public health leaders and advocates in a facilitated problem-identification and problem-solving discourse about aging Native American, rural, and homeless populations with regard to the challenges and effectiveness of responses to COVID-19.

Presented by:

  • Carla Frase, Director, Blue Rivers Area Agency / ADRC
  • David Knego, MSW, Executive Director, Curry Senior Center
  • Donna L. Polk, PhD, MS, LMHP, Chief Executive Officer, Nebraska Urban Indian Health Collation

This webinar is organized by the GSA Environmental Gerontology and Rural Aging Interest Groups.

Hearing- and Vision-Related Practical Strategies for Clinical Research With Older Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic

June 24, 2020

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have had to quickly adapt protocols in order to collect data remotely or while practicing social distancing from participants of ongoing clinical studies. This is especially true for researchers with an older adult study population, for whom the virus poses high risk. Older adult study participants are more likely to have hearing or vision impairment, or a combination. The webinar panelists will offer practical strategies and supporting case studies to help health-system researchers address older adults’ sensory health needs, while advancing their research aims during the time of the pandemic.

Presented by:

  • Heather E. Whitson, MD, MHS, Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) and Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine (Moderator)
  • Nicholas S. Reed, AuD, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • Bonnielin Swenor, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • Frank R. Lin, MD, PhD, Professor of Otolaryngology and Epidemiology; Director, Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • Alan Stevens, PhD, Director, Baylor Scott & White Center for Applied Health Research

Social Media for Research Dissemination: Expanding the Impact of Your Research

May 12, 2020

Description: Social media can play a valuable role in both career development and research dissemination. This webinar is designed to provide attendees with an overview of social media platforms and strategies to effectively use social media to promote research and personal branding. Attendees will also come away with a deeper understanding of the neural underpinnings of social media strategies.

Program Objectives:

  1. To describe the rationale for incorporating social media for research dissemination and personal branding.
  2. To provide an overview of frequently used social media platforms.
  3. To provide an overview of social media use strategies and options.

Presented by:

  • Julie Marie Faieta, PhD, OTR/L, rehabilitation science researcher, The Ohio State University, postdoctoral fellow, Université Laval in Quebec, clinical occupational therapist.

Leveraging Small Grants to Build Your Research Program
(GSA Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Professional Development Webinar Series)

May 1, 2020

What are small grants and why are they important? Where do you find them? How can you use these grants strategically to further your research? If you are interested in learning how to leverage small grants to build your research program, please join us. Our skilled panel of professionals will present on how to find, apply, and leverage foundation and other pilot funding mechanisms to form collaborations, build a research program, and establish a productive career trajectory with a track record in funding. We will discuss the steps involved in this process, and our two skilled professionals will share their experiences and practical advice about how to make the most of small grants.

Presented by:

  • Jamie Justice, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Chair, GSA Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization.
  • Amy Hoffman, PhD, RN, Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Assistant Dean, College of Nursing at the Omaha Campus.

This webinar is supported by the GSA Innovation Fund.

Why Reframe? Understanding the Significance and Tools of Reframing Aging and Reframing Elder Abuse

April 30, 2020

The Reframing Aging Initiative is a long-term social endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to society. Its sister project, Reframing Elder Abuse, aims to demonstrate how we can put elder abuse on the public agenda, generate a sense of collective responsibility, and boost support for systemic solutions to address elder abuse. This webinar will build understanding of both projects, discuss where they overlap, and build awareness about the impact of ageism on society.

Presented by:

  • Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, Vice President of Professional Affairs, The Gerontological Society of America. board-certified geriatric pharmacist.
  • Laurie Gibson Lindberg, Project Manager, Reframing Aging Initiative, The Gerontological Society of America.
  • Aly Neumann, Project Coordinator, NCEA’s Reframing Elder Abuse project.

Reframing the Response to COVID-19: Applying Reframed Language to Counteract Ageism

April 21, 2020

Many of us are concerned by the ageism exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this webinar, the presenters offer ways that we can respond using empirically-supported narratives developed by the FrameWorks Institute for the Reframing Aging Initiative and other projects to frame the public discourse on social and scientific issues. Review the webinar and slides to learn strategies for connecting COVID-19 and aging without perpetuating ageist tropes.

Presented by:

The Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol: A New HRS Data Resource

March 25, 2020

The Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) is part of an international research collaboration funded by the National Institute on Aging to measure and understand dementia risk within ongoing longitudinal studies of aging around the world with the aim to harmonize methods and content to facilitate cross-national comparisons. The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) HCAP was designed to serve as a central hub for harmonization. The HRS HCAP sample includes 3,496 respondents who have completed a carefully selected set of established cognitive and neuropsychological assessments to better characterize cognitive function in older adults. This webinar will provide an overview of the design and content of the HCAP study followed by a question and answer portion.

Presented by:

  • Amanda Sonnega, PhD, is Associate Research Scientist in the Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan (UM), where she is responsible for integrating communication, outreach, and education efforts for the Health and Retirement Study. She received her doctorate through the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship within the ISR program in Social Environment and Health. Dr. Sonnega has lectured in the UM School of Public Health on psychosocial factors in health-related behavior. Her research focuses on life course trajectories of physical and mental health; institutional and personal factors associated with vulnerability and resilience in aging individuals; and work transitions and their broad effects on health and well-being.
  • Lindsay Ryan, PhD, is Associate Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. She received her doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 2008 from the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Ryan is an investigator on several ongoing research projects, all of which involve an interest in better measuring and understanding the processes by which adults change over the life course. Her research interests include investigating individual and contextual influences on well-being, physical health, and cognition across adulthood, with a particular focus on the impact of social relations. She has worked on the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for 10 years, and is involved in the development and management of the cognition and psychosocial content within the HRS.

This webinar, which is hosted by The Gerontological Society of America, has been developed and is presented by the University of Michigan with funds from the National Institute on Aging. Visit GSA's YouTube channel for previous installments: Introduction to the Health and Retirement Study; Biomarkers Data; Data on Cognition; HRS Sample Design, Weighting, and Complex Variance Estimation; Psychosocial Data Resources in the HRS.

Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS)
(HIV and Aging: Data Access, Availability, and Research Funding Opportunities Webinar Series)

February 10, 2020

This webinar presents a description of two large cohorts that use data from the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA). The Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) comprises all HIV-infected (55,000) veterans in VA care from 1997 to 2017, each matched to two demographically similar uninfected veterans. The Veteran Birth Cohort includes all veterans born between 1945 and 1965 who have used VA care from 1997 to 2017 (4.5 million), encompassing person-time between ages 35 and 75 years. Both cohorts have complete electronic health record data, including diagnoses, procedures, lab results, medication fill dates, vital signs, and self-reported tobacco and alcohol use. This information is augmented with supplemental data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as the National Death Index. Several exposures and outcomes have been validated with chart review.

Presented by:

  • Janet Tate, MPH, ScD, Affiliated Principal Investigator, VACS; Member of the Executive Committee; Director, Biostatistics Core; Co-Director, Risk Index Workgroup; Co-Director, Liver Core

Continued research on HIV prevention and intervention among older adults is crucial as people aged 50 years and older accounted for 17% of new infections in 2016, approximately 50% of all people living with HIV in the United States are in this age group, and people are living longer with HIV owing to improvements in antiretroviral therapy in the past several years. Therefore, this webinar series covers access to multiple data sources and their availability, which can be used to answer important research questions in HIV and aging. In addition, this webinar series reports on funding opportunities for HIV and aging research, which will help to provide support in advancing research in this area.

This webinar series, which is hosted by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), has been organized by the GSA HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults Interest Group and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Inter-CFAR HIV and Aging Working Group.

Other entries:

The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)/Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS)
(HIV and Aging: Data Access, Availability, and Research Funding Opportunities Webinar Series) 

January 30, 2020

This webinar presents a description of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)/Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS), including an overview of the two cohorts that comprise the MWCCS, the more than 25-year longitudinal case-control design (HIV+ and HIV-) and every-6-month legacy measures of sociodemographic, aging (e.g., frailty, falls, cognition), cardiovascular health, mental health (depressive symptoms), sexual health, and behavior data as well as genome-wide association studies and biospecimen resources.

Presented by:

  • Deborah Gustafson, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator, Brooklyn Clinical Research Site of the MWCCS

Continued research on HIV prevention and intervention among older adults is crucial as people aged 50 years and older accounted for 17% of new infections in 2016, approximately 50% of all people living with HIV in the United States are in this age group, and people are living longer with HIV owing to improvements in antiretroviral therapy in the past several years. Therefore, this webinar series covers access to multiple data sources and their availability, which can be used to answer important research questions in HIV and aging. In addition, this webinar series reports on funding opportunities for HIV and aging research, which will help to provide support in advancing research in this area.

This webinar series, which is hosted by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), has been organized by the GSA HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults Interest Group and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Inter-CFAR HIV and Aging Working Group.

Other entries:

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