IOA Report


In this Issue:

-From the Director
-IOA Grants Awarded
-BC Talks Aging V
-Funding Opportunity
-SHARE Research Proves Valuable
-IOA Partnerships

From the Director

Greetings!

As we wrap up another fall semester, I would like to provide an update on a few of the IOA’s ongoing initiatives through this newsletter.

We are happy to announce the award of several grants in support of Boston College students. We are also putting the finishing touches on our fifth video in our BC Talks Aging series. Available for viewing in late January at bc.edu/aging, Module V: End of Life Planning is presented by Associate Professor in the Sociology Department Sara Moorman.

The semester proved successful for the IOA through an informative luncheon seminar with Dr. Howard Litwin, and strong partnerships that will allow our Institute to assist others in address issues related to the aging population.

Enjoy the holidays.

Sincerely,

James Lubben
Director, Institute on Aging
Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor in Social Work

 

 

IOA Awards Grants in Support of Student Research

The IOA is proud to announce the award of one Dissertation Grant and four Travel Grants to Boston College students this semester.

BC Talks Aging Screenshots

HaeNim Lee, a doctoral student in the School of Social Work received a Dissertation Grant for her dissertation titled “Co-Residence with Grandparents and Adolescent Health in Three-Generational Family Households,” as well as a travel grant to present a paper at the Society for Social Work and Research 2016 Conference in Washington, D.C. Yeon Jin Choi also received a travel grant to present a paper at the same conference.

Jie Yang, a student in the School of Social Work received a travel grant to present a poster titled “Factors Associated with Perceived Isolation of LGBT Older Adults - A Mixed Methods Analysis“ at the The Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Fellow School of Social Work student Yihan Wang also attended the The Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting to present the paper “Transitioning from Institutional Care to Community-based Care: Case Examples from the United States and Japan.”

Learn more about IOA grant opportunies for faculty and students »
 

Stay Tuned: BC Talks Aging Module V on End of Life Planning Available in January

BC Talks Aging Screenshots

The upcoming fifth module in the video series BC Talks Aging will provide an overview of the issues related to end of life planning. Boston College professor Sara Moorman will address reasons to plan for health care at the end of life and the mechanisms available for end of life planning will be discussed in detail. She also gives advice advance care planning, while discussing federal policies about advance care planning and recent legislation developments. Past BC Talks Aging modules address issues of social isolation; social and productive engagement; long-term health implications of early trauma; and delirium, depression, and dementia. Additional videos to be released in the spring semester include sleep and aging; sleep in the hospital setting, and biological basis for aging.

Watch BC Talks Aging »
 

IOA Director James Lubben presents at a seminar in Barcelona

IOA Director James Lubben presents “Isolation Kills!” at the First International Seminar on Research in Social Science for the Improvement of Society in Barcelona this past September.
 

Funding Opportunity Available Through the Boston Roybal Center

The Boston Roybal Center for Active Lifestyle Interventions (RALI) is currently accepting proposals for innovative pilot projects that have a theoretical and evidence-base in the behavioral and social sciences and fit within the Center’s mission and goals to increase and sustain active engagement. The proposal deadline is January 16, 2016. RALI involves a collaboration among researchers with specialized expertise in healthy aging from five Boston-area institutions, including Boston College. Read the full RALI call for proposals, including application requirements »
 

SHARE Research Opportunities Prove Valuable for Students and Faculty

BC Talks Aging Screenshots

On Thursday, October 1, the IOA hosted a successful luncheon featuring Dr. Howard Litwin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The seminar focused on the research opportunities available through Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which proves to be a strong compliment to the U.S. Health and Retirement study. Both doctoral students and faculty members expressed interested in utilizing the SHARE data for their own subsequent research and publications. During his visit to Boston College, Dr. Litwin also met with faculty, including School of Social Work professor Erika Sabbath, who has used SHARE data in her own research.
 

IOA Expands Reach Through Partnerships

BC Talks Aging Screenshots

In collaboration with the Boston College Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work (CoE), IOA faculty have been working to increase awareness and add to the understanding of Social Isolation by assisting social service agencies to identify and mitigate its impact. This includes direct training and assistance to several local and national large non-profit agencies including Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Jewish Family Services of Metrowest, and Volunteers of America.

The IOA has established a partnership with the Boston College Global Leadership Institute and the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) to investigate how the IOA’s BC Talks Aging learning modules, can be used as part of a continuing education for practioners in Ireland. The modules will likely be used in conjunction with additional content created by the faculty and practitioners featured in the BC Talks Aging series.