Spring 2022 Newsletter / Editor: Cheryl Deep / Designer: Catherine Blasio
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Director Lichtenberg Leads Nation's Top Gerontology Organization
by Cheryl Deep
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Dr. Peter Lichtenberg is the 2022 president of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. He was elected by GSA’s membership of more than 5,500 researchers, educators, practitioners and other professionals. As president, Dr. Lichtenberg provides leadership for its members across a variety of current issues related to aging and strategic planning for the organization’s goals, as well as overseeing its many member committees and advisory boards. Perhaps most importantly, he sets the program theme for the GSA’s 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting in November. . . . MORE
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Dr. Lichtenberg encourages GSA members to participate in the 2022 conference |
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COVID-19 & Me: Keeping Physically Safe and Mentally Well During the Pandemic
by Rachel Scott, MA
Doctoral Student, Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience
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As the Covid-19 pandemic has progressed, there has been a significant focus on physical health and wellness, especially for older adults. While physical health is important, it is also important that we check in with our emotional, psychological and social well-being . . . MORE
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Top Honors for Scholarship, Mentoring
Dr. Mark Luborsky was elected into Wayne State’s Academy of Scholars and also received the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. He is a professor of gerontology and a professor of anthropology at WSU. The Academy is an august group with only the top five percent of university faculty offered membership. MORE
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Trainee Recognized for Teaching & Research
Allison Moll was recognized for her excellence in teaching with the WSU 2022 Graduate Student Teaching Award for Lectures. Moll also took home third place in the psychology department's graduate student fall competition for her, Are Clinician- and Self-reports of Hypertension related to Cognition in Late-life?
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Fellow Awarded Federal Grant
Dr. Kelsey Canada, a postdoctoral fellow in the Ofen Lab of Cognitive and Brain Development, won a $211,000 grant from the National Institute of Child and Human Development. Dr. Canada will analyze data from across the U.S. to look at the effects of adverse socioeconomic disparity on the development and size of select areas in the brain's hippocampus.
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Endowment Smashes Goals
Though only three years old, the IOG Endowment continues to exceed every goal and roar with growth. The fund is now at $2.3 million. An astounding $270,000 has been added this year alone. Our goal is now $2.5 million by 2024, and we have every expectation we will meet -- and beat -- that. At $2.5 million, the endowment will generate 4.5% in income every year to support our work.
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Many thanks to our Board of Visitors, community partners, professionals who work in aging, caregivers, and older adults. The IOG Endowment Fund has received generous gifts from each of these groups. The future of aging is bright.
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CE Trainings Expand Across Campus & the US |
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The IOG's trainings for professionals have grown explosively during the past two years, as education moved online. In-person events are now beginning to resume, but the popularity of our Zoom programs for nurses and social workers remains high. Attendees cite quality, relevance of topics, and convenience as key reasons to register.
Over the past six months, the IOG educated 25,400 people in 167 different programs. Attendees tune in from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and of course Michigan. We've added several new partners to deliver these trainings including Allegria Village, ProMedica, Jewish Senior Life and The Avalon. Our long-term partner in Michigan, BrightStar Care, now offers our CEs to BrightStar agencies throughout the U.S.
Our trainings also help students in the Wayne State community. Starting in February, we arranged CE presentations for students in occupational therapy classes. "We also help second-year medical students fulfill their community engagement requirement," IOG Outreach Director Donna MacDonald said. "When Covid hit, they couldn't get in-person experience, so we provided online courses." Topics included Challenging Behaviors and Sensory Changes in Dementia, and How to Have Difficult Conversations around Health Care. Several hundred medical students over the past two years have completed the certification through our courses.
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Discussing the Future of Aging in Michigan |
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Dr. Thomas Jankowski talked with dozens of older adults at the Helm (at the Boll Life Center), the leading-edge senior center for residents of the Grosse Pointes’ and Harper Woods. The March discussion looked at The Demographics of the Aging Population, especially challenges and opportunities for Michigan as it responds to this dramatic demographic shift. The event heralded the IOG’s return to safe, in-person community engagement when appropriate.
Dr. Jankowski has studied aging and older adults for nearly 30 years. By 2045, nearly 22% of the population will be age 65 or older. This shift will likely lead to dramatic changes in the economic and social fabric of communities and trigger major shifts in services, consumer and labor markets, transportation, health care and leisure outlets. Dr. Jankowski is the IOG’s associate director for research.
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Surveys and questionnaires
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E-stories & resources for people who
care for older adults
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connects older adults with research to combat health disparities
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We highlight Platinum Sponsor BrightStar Care and their well-deserved legacy of quality and compassion |
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A BrightStar home care expert helps a client who has Parkinson's disease |
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BrightStar Care Quality: Good as Gold
by Bobbie Soeder
Vice President of Business Development BrightStar Care
BrightStar Care has been working with families since 2002 to provide dependable, supportive private duty home care for people of all ages. Our "BrightStar Story" began with the founder's own frustration at not knowing where to turn to give an aging relative the quality of care and quality of life she deserved. She created BrightStar as a result of her personal experience. The same is true of all of us who are part of the 340 (and growing) BrightStar Care locations in the US today. Sooner or later, we all need to find quality care for ourselves or someone we love. There's a compelling story in how we all became part of the BrightStar Care team . . . MORE
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BrightStar Care testimonials say it best . . .
"Thank you for the quality of care we have received, the customer service and coordination - everything has just been stellar and contributed to a quick recovery for my husband. We couldn't be more appreciative! Our caregiver Emanuel was wonderful. BrightStar is a great company to work with."
– Michelle K., 2021
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Click FLIER below for more info |
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The Key to Lasting Memories |
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A team of researchers led by current and former WSU faculty have captured rare data from the brains of children and adults who were asked to memorize pictures of simple scenes while undergoing neurosurgery. These electrocorticographic recordings came from two areas of the brain simultaneously: the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Researchers have long suspected that both regions play key roles in memory formation.
The research, done by IOG faculty member Noa Ofen, PhD and colleagues, confirmed that communication between these two regions determines how an experience becomes a memory. MORE
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