GSA on Aging

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Stephanie Prost from the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville.  Dr. Prost is an expert in the aging prison population, and, "Prisons and COVID-19: A Desperate Call for Gerontological Expertise in Correctional Health Care", her paper recently published in The Gerontologist, examines the impact of COVID-19 on the incarcerated population.  They discussed the challenges faced by aging prisoners and how COVID-19 poses additional complications.  After speaking with Dr. Prost, Dr. Degenholtz called Dr. Mandy Garber, a psychiatrist who has worked in jail and prison environments and spoke with her about the consequences of the pandemic for people with mental health problems. 

For more information and guidance surrounding COVID-19 in correctional settings, visit Amend at https://amend.us.

For resources regarding advance care planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit Prepare for Your Care at https://prepareforyourcare.org/welcome.

Article (February 2021 special issue of The Gerontologist, "Gerontology in a Time of Pandemic")

In this episode of The Gerontologist Podcast, Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Ms. Rowan ten Kate, a doctoral student at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. In her paper, “A Closer Look at Loneliness: Why Do First-Generation Migrants Feel More Lonely Than Their Native Dutch Counterparts?”, which was published in the March 2020 special issue of The Gerontologist on immigration and aging, she analyzed data from a large national survey that included older first-generation immigrants as well as native-born people.  She found that migrants were more lonely than their native-born counterparts, and that this association was not moderated by the frequency of social contact.  The implications for well-being in this population was discussed.  In the second segment, Dr. Degenholtz talked to his mom about first-generation immigrants in their own family tree - her father and grandmother.

Article (March 2020 special issue of The Gerontologist, "Immigration and Aging")

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Emily Franzosa at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center about her paper on the emotional labor of home health aides. Her paper, “Who’s Caring for Us?”: Understanding and Addressing the Effects of Emotional Labor on Home Health Aides’ Well-being, published in the December 2019 issue of The Gerontologist, reports on focus groups conducted with groups of aides, finding that being close and having trusting relationships with clients were important to aides’ emotional well-being.  The conversation highlighted the importance of recognizing emotional labor and the limitations of the current system that do not reward or even explicitly acknowledge the psychological toll that caring can have on paid caregivers.  Dr. Degenholtz talked to his mother about the people who have cared for their relatives, including his uncle and his grandmother, and tried to parse out what motivates people above and beyond pay to do this challenging work.

Article (December 2019 Issue of The Gerontologist)

Disclaimer: This interview does not represent the views of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Anne E. Dickerson at East Carolina University about her research on driving cessation and transportation needs among older adults, the topic of her paper published in The Gerontologist, "Transportation and Aging: An Updated Research Agenda to Advance Safe Mobility among Older Adults Transitioning From Driving to Non-driving." They talked about having a 'transportation plan' and how to use rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft. In the second part of the episode, Dr. Degenholtz talked to his mom about her opinion on driving cessation and rideshare services.

Article (April 2019 Issue of The Gerontologist)

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Gloria Puurveen at University of British Columbia about her research on people with advanced Alzheimer's Disease. Her paper, “A Seat at the Table: The Positioning of Families During Care Conferences in Nursing Homes,” published in the October 2019 issue of The Gerontologist looks at care conferences, an important and often overlooked aspect of how nursing homes are run. The study was part of her post-doctoral fellowship. Dr. Degenholtz wrapped up the episode a conversation about the topic with the regular contributor of The Gerontologist Podcast, his mom.

Article (October 2019 issue of The Gerontologist)

In the fourth episode of The Gerontologist Podcast, Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Wendy Moyle at Griffith University about her research using robotic pets for people with dementia.  Her paper, "She Had a Smile on Her Face as Wide as the Great Australian Bite": A Qualitative Examination of Family Perceptions of a Therapeutic Robot and a Plush Toy, published in the 2018 special issue of The Gerontologist on technology an aging, expands this work to explore the impact of the robotic pets on family members. After speaking with Dr. Moyle, he called his mom to see what she thinks about using robotic pets for people with dementia.

Article (February 2019 special issue of The Gerontologist, "Technology and Aging")

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Rebecca Collins about her clinical practice and research on mindfulness-based interventions. Her paper, Article (Published online on April 4, 2018 in The Gerontologist)

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Brian Kaskie at University of Iowa about his research on use of cannabis among older adults.  He published a Policy Studies paper, The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative? and has had several additional papers on this important topic.  After having a fascinating and wide ranging conversation as befits the topic with Dr. Kaskie, Dr. Degenholtz called his mom for her opinion!  

You can learn more about Dr. Kaskie's research on his project website.

Policy Studies Article: The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative? (December 2017 issue of The Gerontologist)

Measurement Article: Measuring Attitudes Toward Medical and Recreational Cannabis Among Older Adults in Colorado (Published online on May 14, 2019 in The Gerontologist)

Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Victoria Burns about her paper, Homeless for the First Time in Later Life. She shared her motivation for this line of research. She also discussed a fascinating documentary project she is working that brings to life the stories of homeless older adults in Calgary.  You can learn more about "Beyond Housing" on the StoryHive website. https://www.storyhive.com/project/show/id/3601

Article (April 2019 issue of The Gerontologist)

The Real Faces of Careers in Aging Podcast episode with Jacqueline Pelliccione-Friel, MBA, CALA, Executive Director, Brandywine Senior Living, Haddonfield, New Jersey