Silver Linings in the Darkest of Clouds
by Cheryl Deep
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In its first few months, Covid-19 upended much of the Institute of Gerontology’s important community outreach and engagement work. Events for older adults, trainings for health care professionals, student workshops – all cancelled. One year later, we’re a little astonished at how successful the transition to online and digital has been. See the lessons we learned HERE.
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The Pandemic’s Impact on the Mental Health of Older Blacks, Asians and Hispanics
Covid-19’s impact varies significantly depending on a community’s racial and ethnic composition. The Alliance of National Psychological Associations for Racial and Ethnic Equity wanted to understand the specifics of these differences. Dr. Lichtenberg and IOG Assoc. Professor Dr. Wassim Tarraf contributed to the project with an analysis of Census and other survey data on the mental and physical health of Blacks, Asians and Hispanics since the beginning of the pandemic. Read findings HERE.
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Vaccination Beliefs of Detroit’s Older African Americans
Serious illness from Covid-19 has disproportionately affected persons of color, especially African Americans. A team of IOG and U-M researchers and students studied how generalized anxiety might impact whether older African Americans in the Detroit area get a Covid-19 vaccine. They recruited 150 members of the Healthier Black Elders Center, age 65 and up. Telephone interviews determined each person's stressors, emotions, beliefs, susceptibility and fears about the pandemic and available vaccines. Many fears concerned vaccine safety, side effects and effectiveness, as well as the chance of becoming very sick from Covid-19.
Results showed urban African American older adults generally eager to get vaccinated. Sixty-seven percent said they intended to get vaccinated. Only 15% were reluctant. More research is needed to better understand attitudes and improve vaccination rates.
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NPR's Marketplace Morning Report
New research points to specific factors that can indicate which older Americans are most at risk of financial scams. In a national study, IOG Director Peter Lichtenberg found that physical, mental and relationship health are important predictors of financial vulnerability. Right now hundreds of Covid-based scams offer fake supplies, tests and now vaccines. Lichtenberg's Financial Vulnerability Survey can help assess an older adult's risk of being victimized by these and other financial exploitations.
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Channel 7 Action News on WXYZ-TV
The health benefits of a robotic companion pet are proving just as real as an actual pooch. "I was a little skeptical at first, but the feedback we have gotten has been so positive. . . a life changing experience for some folks," said IOG Research Gerontologist Thomas B. Jankowski. "Severe loneliness can affect physical health as much as smoking and obesity." The pet is a potential treatment for depression and anxiety, possibly even slowing or reversing dementia disorders during isolation.
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See all Institute of Gerontology news coverage HERE.
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Dr. Peter Lichtenberg is the principal investigator on a 2-year National Institute of Health grant of $423,500. He will look at the connection between financial decisions, money management and perceived or mild memory loss in older adults. Could an older adult's checking account, credit cards and other financial management resources offer clues to early cognitive changes? Perhaps they could help determine the person's risk of financial exploitation.
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Dr. Wassim Tarraf is the co-investigator & lead statistician on a five-year project to study the role of sleep and blood pressure in brain aging and Alzheimer's.
The $629,258 award from the National Institutes of Health will study middle-aged and older Latinos at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and early cognitive decline. This could lead to interventions to lessen this decline and dementias in Latinos, an understudied and growing segment of the US.
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Issues in Aging
April 19 @ 9 am - 3:40 pm
Team Approaches to Dementia & Frailty
National Experts on:
Cannabinoids in Dementia
Aging in Place
Diverse Caregiving
Dementia without Loneliness
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Art of Aging Successfully
May 13 @ 9:30 am - Noon
Brighter Days Ahead
Famed Detroit Storyteller
Mildred Matlock
PLUS Chair Aerobics
Stop the Scammers!
Food, Fabulous Food
Gift of Getting Organized
Gardens of Sun, Soil & Nurture
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Dr. Jessica Robbins received excellent reviews on her new book Aging Nationally in Contemporary Poland: Memory, Kinship, and Personhood. She did months of graduate field work in Poland. Read more.
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Director LaToya Hall expanded the SAFE program to the UP, North Carolina and Illinois with coaching and services by phone or computer. SAFE partnered with Hillsdale Senior Services to offer SAFE in more rural and under-served areas.
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IOG partners support our educational and outreach events, helping us provide specialized training in aging-related issues to thousands of professionals who care for older adults. |
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Welcome to one of our newest IOG partners, Sunrise Senior Living, with more than 300 independent and assisted living residences across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. In Michigan, Sunrise operates 12 facilities including in Northville, Shelby Township and the Bloomfield area.
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ELECTRA Study Seeks Volunteers for Memory Research
This project wants to better understand potential biomarkers that may predict cognitive loss and be the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease.
In-person visits are on hold due to COVID-19. Now recruiting for phone-only screening visits.
The ELECTRA Study seeks African-American males and females, ages 65 and over. Eligible volunteers will have:
- Brief neurological assessments
- Tests of memory and thinking
- When it is safe to meet in-person, participants will receive an electroencephalogram (EEG), which is a non-invasive recording of tiny electrical signals from the top of the head.
Volunteers receive compensation for participation. Call 313-577-1276 or email at ELECTRA@wayne.edu to learn more.
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Do You Qualify for Our WALLET Study?
The IOG study — WALLET (Wealth Accumulations & Later-life Losses in Early cognitive Transitions) — is recruiting men and women age 60 and older who manage their own household finances, but feel like their memory is slipping. All screenings done remotely. To learn more, CLICK HERE
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Feeling isolated? Wish you had someone to talk to? Connect to Party Line, a free support group developed by the Healthier Black Elders Center. The group meets on Zoom with games, videos, discussion topics and other fun icebreakers. Questions? Call 313-664-2616 or email Sarah at er7366@wayne.edu, or Hannah at fz8926@wayne.edu. Full Flier
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Tuesdays from 1:00 to 2:00 pm through April 20.
Meeting ID: 438 691 8233 - or dial in at 1-646-876-9923
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