SAS NEWS

It was a pleasure to welcome Dr. Yuliang Zou from the College of Health Sciences in Wuhan University, located in the center of China. Dr. Zou is a public health researcher from central China. He visited us, and even hosted Dr. Haley in China, to explore potential collaborative opportunities for aging research and education between USF and Wuhan University. He spoke today about aging and its challenges in China. He specifically spoke about the baby booms and China’s population, the great famine, increase in abortions, urbanization, and more. Everyone in the room was engaged and captivated by your research. Thank you, Dr. Zou for coming and for giving us insight into China’s culture and your research!

CBCS In the News

Can an Extra 16 Minutes of Sleep Score You a Promotion?
OZY
In fact, according to a recent study from the University of South Florida: ... an assistant professor at the University of South Florida's School of Aging Studies

The School of Aging Studies recently hosted its 10th annual Mock Interview Night at the University of South Florida. The event provides students in the Long-term Care Administration program a chance to practice their interviewing skills and receive professional feedback and advice. Eleven administrators and executives from Florida long-term care companies participated.

The Aging Studies’ Long-term Care Administration program was created to prepare students for careers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Many of these students soon will be interviewing in reality for internships and jobs, and during this event, they learned the valuable lessons of what company executives expect of a candidate.

Each student was given a at least two 15-minute interviews with long-term care professionals, who then provided feedback on their performance. In addition, they watched as a panel of administrators interviewed a student who is currently an intern in a nursing home. 

USF’s bachelor’s degree program in Long-term Care Administration was created in 1984 to meet the growing need for well-trained long-term care professionals. Since then, the population of older adults has continued to grow. More than 11 million Floridians are 60 and older. By 2040, that number is expected to grow to more than 13 million.

For more information about the Long-term Care Administration program, the School of Aging Studies, or the mock interviews, please contact Kathryn Hyer at (813) 974-3232 or khyer@usf.edu.

Thank you to the following professionals for helping USF’s School of Aging Studies train future long-term care professionals: 

David Fitts, Administrator, Westchester Gardens Health & Rehabilitation 
Elizabeth DonFila, Executive Director, Central Park Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center 
Anthony Lewis,Divisional VP of Human Resources, Consulate Health Care
Brian Bentz, Executive Director, Palm Garden of Sun City Center
Ron Tencza, Administrator, St. Petersburg Nursing and Rehabilitation 
Joe Xanthopoulos, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director, Florida Presbyterian Homes
Ena Findlay,Interim Life Enrichment Director, Florida Presbyterian Homes
Rachael Mazer, Administrator, Viera Del Mar Health and Rehabilitation Center
Reginald Eldridge, Executive Director, Heron Pointe Health and Rehabilitation 
Jason Duplantis, Administrator, Bayshore Pointe Nursing & Rehab
Samantha Vosloo, Executive Director, Palm Garden of Largo 

Joseph June won the Social Research Policy And Practice Section Outstanding Poster Award for his poster titled "Keeping Cool in Florida Assisted Living Communities: Barriers to Power Rule Implementation." The session was held during the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Austin, Texas. Dr.'s Kathy Hyer, Lindsay Peterson, and Debra Dobbs co-authored the poster.

The annual Global Achievement Awards Program recognizes the remarkable work of USF's faculty, staff, administrators and university organizations as together we raise the global reputation of the University of South Florida. A USF Fullbright Medal was presented to Director Dr. Ross Andel at the Global Achievement Awards Breakfast on November 21. Pictured is the Director of Aging Studies, Dr. Ross Andel; the Dean of Behavioral and Community Sciences, Dr. Julianne Serovich; Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, Ralph Wilcox; and the President of USF, Steven Currall.

Aging Studies Professor Addresses Future of Gerontology

Kathryn Hyer, PhD, presented issues that she believes will be "high-priority gerontology challenges related to health and well-being in the years ahead" at the University of Massachusetts Boston Gerontology Institute's 35th Anniversary Symposium. These issues include: "The ability to integrate older adults into the community, the adoption and understanding of technological advancement and efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change." Dr. Hyer is the director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging and incoming president of the Gerontological Society of America. Read more...

Aging Studies Professor Receives Editor's Choice Award

William Haley, PhD, was recently annunced as the winner of the 2019 Rehabilitation Nursing Editor's Choice Award for his manuscript titled, "Stroke survivor and family caregiver reports of caregiver engagement in stroke care." Dr. Haley was acknowledged at the ARN Annual Conference, REACH 2019 in Columbus, OH during the Annual Members Meeting on Friday, November 8. 

Dr. Kathy Hyer Presents Keynote at Gerontology and Health Industry Conference in Jian, China

-- by Henry Trent
At the beginning of September, Dr. Katherine Hyer, professor and director of the School of Aging Studies and president-elect of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), led a delegation of GSA members to Jian, China. In Jian, a city of 7 million around 275 miles from Beijing, Hyer and the GSA members visited a conference hosted by the Chinese Congress on Gerontology and Health Industry. The conference opening session featured international experts and Chinese national and regional governmental leaders' visions of how to meet the healthcare needs of a growing number of older adults in China.

China's population of older adults is experiencing rapid growth. Currently, China has 240 million adults 60 years of age and older (about 17% of the population). Projections indicate by 2050, almost 35% of the Chinese population (487 million) will be over 60 years of age. The Chinese healthcare system focuses on physicians in hospitals providing primary care, and workforce projections predict severe shortages of trained staff to meet those needs. An important part of the conference discussion was the recognition that nursing, social work, and gerontological training are new areas that require major investment to train a competent workforce to meet needs of older adults.

Hyer presented her keynote entitled "Development and Adoption of Age-Friendly Health Systems in the United States". Her presentation provided an overview of the elements of age-friendly health by describing the factors that contribute to poor outcomes in care for older adults, the development of an age-friendly health system model and how the adoption of evidence-based, geriatric care models and the identification of older adult's preferences helps align safe and consistent care delivery to older adults' preferences. She received a plaque to commemorate her participation in the opening session.

As part of her trip, GSA staff arranged opportunities to give lectures at three Chinese universities. Hyer spoke to graduate health administration students at Shandong University in Jinan, Hangzhou University in Hangzhou, and a mix of undergraduate health profession students at East China Normal University in Shanghai. She lectured on measuring and monitoring long-term care services in the United States. East China Normal University, in particular, was interested in learning more about hospice care and about how services are organized. Hospice care is a new service and Shanghai hopes to create a system of hospice care throughout the city in the next five years.

While she was in China, Hyer was also able to experience the culture, food and countryside. She climbed the Great Wall of China and visited the Forbidden City, and was able to take tours of Chinese nursing homes in three cities.. During these tours she saw a 400 bed nursing home that was part of an acute care hospital. In Shanghai, she visited a nursing home that provided "take out" services to older adults in the community and provided nursing services in homes near the nursing center. Hyer enjoyed these visits and said these service organizations and locations were very different from those in the United States.

Retirement and Negative Brain Impacts
KFBK-AM (Radio)-Sacramento
I looked up a guy named Ross Andel...he's with the school of aging study's which exists at the University of South florida he's done a lot of research on this written papers he' ..

USF Studying the Impact of Nursing Home Evacuations During Hurricanes
WUSF (89.7 FM)-Tampa
the University of South Florida has been involved in some of that research and is currently studying the impact of evacuations during hurricane irma usf's lindsay peterson sat down with health news florida to discuss the study ...

Two CBCS Faculty Receive USF Outstanding Research Achievement Awards

Dr. Bryanna Fox and Dr. Kathryn Hyer were among 12 USF researchers received Outstanding Research Achievement Awards. These annual awards honor those whose research sets the standard on a national and international scale and are selected by the members of the USF System Senate Research Council. The council reviews nominations for the award from USF deans, department chairs, and center and institute directors. Each awardee received $2,000 with the award in recognition of their achievements.

Dr. Fox is an Associate Professor in Criminology. She studies the predictors of criminal behavior and uses this knowledge to develop evidence-based strategies to help law enforcement prevent and solve crimes. In 2018, Dr. Fox authored 12 peer-reviewed articles featured in top-ranked journals including Psychological Bulletin, Law & Society Review, Journal of Criminal Justice, Sexual Abuse, and Crime & Delinquency. She also published a research-based book, two book chapters, and co-authored an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times. Also, she was awarded a $700,000 U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to develop a new strategy to reduce violence and opioid offenses in Pasco County. Dr. Fox was elected Executive Counselor of the Developmental & Life-Course Division of the American Society of Criminology, and serves on the editorial board of five prominent journals in her field. In 2018, she was a featured expert on television networks FOX, A&E, NPR, and in various national and international media outlets.

Dr. Hyer is an international expert on evaluating quality across long-term care settings. Following her October 2017 testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding hospitalizations and mortality outcomes in nursing homes after hurricane evacuations, she received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine nursing home and assisted living residents' health outcomes resulting from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Her research included interviews with administrative staff, as well as sophisticated storm tracking and statistical approaches. Dr. Hyer also is the principal investigator on a 2018 U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration grant of nearly $782,000 to enhance the training of the geriatric healthcare workforce. In 2018, she also facilitated grant proposals by junior USF researchers funded by the Donaghue Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Hyer was selected as president of the prestigious Gerontological Society of America for a three-year term beginning in 2018.

As part of our Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series, on Friday, October 25, 2019, Dr. Yuri Jang spoke to our college. Yuri is now a Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and a Senior Scientist at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. She spoke about her 5-year multi-site project, "Limited English Proficiency, Health, and Healthcare among Older Immigrants."

Aging Studies Professor and Gerontological Society of America President Dr. Kathryn Hyer was one of the speakers at the 35th Anniversary of the Gerontology Institute. Held at University of Massachusetts Boston, the symposium captured recent achievements and current priorities. Videos, images, and synopsis are presented in the link below:

http://blogs.umb.edu/gerontologyinstitute/2019/10/25/gerontology-institute-marks-35th-anniversary-with-symposium-celebrating-past-and-looking-to-future/

The USF School of Aging Studies & Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging were honored to have Florida Secretary of Elder Affairs Richard Prudom present a Distinguished Policy Lecture on Friday, September 27, 2019. Secretary Prudom discussed recent steps taken by Governor Ron DeSantis to prioritize treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, and cognitive decline, and shared his own vision of Florida as an age-friendly state. Following a lively discussion of the role USF students, researchers, and community partners have in helping to create livable communities for older adults, Florida Policy Center on Aging Director Kathryn Hyer, PhD (joined by School of Aging Studies Director Ross Andel, PhD and USF College of Public Health Dean Donna Petersen) recognized Secretary Prudom for his outstanding leadership on behalf of Florida’s older adults.

Nursing Homes Facing Life-or-Death Decisions in Power Blackouts
Emergency Management
... can't," said Lindsay Anderson, research assistant professor at University of South Florida. On the other hand, sometimes these facilities ...

Hurricane evacuation of nursing home residents still an unsolved challenge
The Conversation
Lindsay J. Peterson, University of South Florida and Kathryn Hyer, University of South Florida Hurricane Dorian is bearing down on Florida

Kathryn Hyer, professor in the School of Aging Studies and director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging at USF, has been selected to receive a Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award from the Research Council at USF Research & Innovation. The award includes a $2,000 grant. She and other awardees will be recognized at a luncheon on October 21st. Hyer's research focuses on the quality of care and the quality of life provided by assisted living communities and nursing homes. She is a principal investigator on a National Institute on Aging grant to examine hurricane diaster decision making among nursing home and assisted living residents in Florida (FL) and Texas (TX) that experienced hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017. She was also principal investigator on a U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration, Geriatric Workforce Enhancedment Program (GWEP) grant, one of 44 in the country in 2017-18.

The School of Aging Studies celebrated the start of the Fall 2019 semester with a luncheon on Friday, Aug. 30. Aging Studies Director Ross Andel recognized the department's achievements of the previous year, including new grant funding and publication milestones. He also welcomed new Aging Studies staff, faculty, and students - Assistant Professor Gizem Hulur, Visiting Instructor Nasreen Sadeq, Academic Program Specialist Megan Anthony, and six new PhD students, Kallol Kumar Bhattacharyya, Joanne Elayoubi, Christina Mu, Monica Nelson, Daniel Pupo, and Jocelyn Robinson.

Research Assistant Professor Lindsay Peterson and Professor Kathryn Hyer published an article in The Conversation about their research into the effects of disasters on older adults in nursing homes and assisted living communities. The Conversation is a non-profit, online news site devoted to presenting academic research to a general audience. To read the article by Peterson and Hyer, go here,
https://theconversation.com/hurricane-evacuation-of-nursing-home-residents-still-an-unsolved-challenge-121163

As Hurricane Dorian approached the United States, the Washington Post quoted Aging Studies Professor Kathryn Hyer in a story on Sept. 2 about lessons of past hurricanes. Hyer described the results of research into the effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike on nursing home residents, explaining that the hurricanes increased the health risks to all residents, whether they sheltered in place or were evacuated, but the risks were greater for those who were evacuated.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lessons-of-the-past-inform-care-for-elderly-residents-as-hurricane-dorian-approaches-florida/2019/09/01/3334c138-cceb-11e9-8c1c-7c8ee785b855_story.html?noredirect=on

Jakub Hort, a leading dementia researcher in the Czech Republic, has received a courtesy professor appointment at USF, strengthening a long-standing partnership between USF and St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno. Hort leads the dementia research team at the International Clinic Research Center at St. Anne’s. Hort played a key role in establishing the relationship with USF, which has led to student exchanges, dozens of publications, and other research accomplishments. He works closely with Ross Andel, professor and director of USF’s School or Aging Studies. “Collaboration with colleagues at the University of South Florida is long-term, constantly evolving, and younger colleagues are also involved in the research,” which is seen in an increase in publications and scientific developments on both sides,"Hort said.

Men's Health: Better Sleep, Less Swelling and Reduced Risk of Inflammation

Soomi Lee, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Aging Studies, published a study which examined whether systemic inflammation often found in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is explained by poorer sleep health in the journal for Arthritis Care & Research. The research analyzed data from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, which included a cross-sectional sample of 2562 men over 65 years old with either OA or RA. Results from this study reveal different potential mechanisms by which OA and RA may increase risk for systemic inflammation and suggests that promoting sleep health in men with OA may help reduce the risk of systemic inflammation. Full story...

Patients in need
News Chief
The University of South Florida also made changes in those medical students' training..."Are they treated respectfully?" is a key thing to watch for, said Kathryn Hyer, professor in the University of South Florida School of Aging Studies.

It's Official: Losing Just 16 Minutes of Sleep Can Make You Less Productive at Work the Next Day
InStyle
... published in the Sleep Health Journal, researchers at the University of South Florida and Penn State University sought to answer ...

Fox 13 sought out School of Aging Studies Professor Kathryn Hyer for perspective on the release of a list of nursing homes identified as providing persistently poor care. The list of nearly 400 facilities, of 15,000 in the U.S., was made public in response to an inquiry by U.S. Senators representing Pennsylvania, Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Pat Toomey, a Republican.

“People are in nursing homes because they need skilled care and they need the services required by (federal) regulations. But there’s a range within those homes, as you can see,” Hyer told Fox 13.

The list shows that many nursing homes do not provide high-quality care, she said. The challenge is ensuring that those at the bottom are at least providing adequate care.

See the story at http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/6-bay-area-facilities-on-leaked-list-of-troubled-nursing-homes?fbclid=IwAR23rTiJQO0DJ-xP6bXWUX522mkg-SYF4VYjBMjj7kiaAeEs4XxHNfjsxzw
For more information about the information obtained by Sens. Casey and Toomey, go to www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-and-toomey-secure-secret-document-from-administration-list-includes-hundreds-of-poorly-performing-nursing-homes-across-the-country
To check an inspection or quality report on any nursing home in the U.S., go to the government website, Nursing Home Compare, https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html 

School of Aging Studies Assistant Professor Soomi Lee talked to Fox13 about her recent studies about our need for sleep, explaining that even a little lost sleep can affect performance.

Across participants in her study, losing just 16 minutes the previous night was associated with impaired cognition.

“When sleep is distorted on a day to day basis, there will be a higher cost in terms of health in later life and also productivity over time,” she said.

Her recommendations: Avoid late-night phone calls and emails and early-morning meetings.

To read the Fox13 report, go to http://www.fox13news.com/health/study-losing-16-minutes-of-sleep-can-affect-your-workday

The study was published in the journal Sleep Health.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235272181930021X?via%3Dihub

http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?a=8919&z=234

6 Bay Area facilities on leaked list of troubled nursing homes
FOX 13 News
... "People are in nursing homes because they need skilled care and they need the services that are required by the regulations, but there's a range within those homes as you can see," USF College of Aging Studies Professor Kathryn Hyer said...

Kali Thomas, a School of Aging Studies PhD and MA program graduate, received a Distinguished Alumni award from the department and the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging on March 1, 2019.

Thomas is now an Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University and a Research Health Scientist at the Providence VA Medical Center. After receiving her PhD from the University of South Florida in 2011, she went to Brown on an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on improving the quality of life of older adults needing long-term care services and supports.

She has received more than $6.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the AHRQ, the National Institute on Aging, and multiple foundations. While at USF to receive her award, she delivered a lecture to USF students and faculty on her latest investigations into assisted living, including her work to describe the assisted living population nationally and understand their health conditions and the regulations influencing their care.

Kali Thomas to Give Distinguished Alumni Talk

Kali S. Thomas, PhD, will present "New Investigations into Assisted Living: Markets, and Data, and Regs, Oh My!" on Friday, March 1, 2019 at 10:30am in USF College of Nursing, MDN 2005. Dr. Thomas is an Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, and a Research Health Science Specialist at the Providence VA Medical Center's Center of Innovation for Long-term Services and Supports. She received her PhD in Aging Studies from the University of South Florida and completed an AHRQ-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Brown University Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research. Her research focuses on identifying ways to improve the quality of life of older adults needing long-term services and supports (LTSS) through applied health services research.

The American College of Health Care Administrators has selected Kathryn Hyer to receive its Education Award. Hyer is a professor in the School of Aging Studies and Director of Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging at USF.

The ACHCA’s Education Award recognizes people who have made an outstanding contribution to nursing home and aging service education. Hyer teaches classes on nursing home operations, which are part of the School of Aging Studies bachelor’s degree in long-term care administration. She also teaches classes on policy issues in long-term care. She is the principal investigator on a National Institutes on Aging grant to study the effects of disasters on nursing homes and assisted living communities and their vulnerable residents.

Hyer will accept the award at the ACHCA’s national convention in Louisville, KY in March.

Dr. William Haley in the University of South Florida School of Aging Studies was elected a Fellow in the Psychology Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for advancing understanding of the psychological, social, and health impacts on family members providing care for relatives with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer and terminal illness. Fellowship in the AAAS is reserved for “A member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” The School of Aging Studies congratulates Dr. Haley on this recognition of his research.

Adrian N. S. Badana, MPH, CPH; a G.S.S. Doctoral Fellow and PhD candidate in the School of Aging Studies, is making an impact with his article "Aging in the Philippines," co-authored by Dr. Ross Andel, Director of the School of Aging Studies. The article, published in The Gerontologist, a top-tier outlet for aging-related research. Badana, an aspiring gerontologist and public health researcher, was inspired by his Filipino heritage and time spent living in Southeast Asia to research the Filipino population. The goal of Badana’s article was to provide an overview of research on aging in the Philippines for other gerontologists and public health researchers, but the article went further than that — all the way to the House of Representatives of the Philippines and into potential legislation as it was cited as evidence by the House of Representatives in the Philippines in a bill designed to improve the lives and social welfare of older citizens.

Dr. Andel says that delivering this kind of information to a wide audience is critical in today’s world. “With the population aging, studying the impact the changing demographics on social and economic issues is increasingly important.”

Badana’s work shows that researching aging in the Philippines is particularly critical as the population is unique, rapidly expanding and is currently underrepresented in healthcare policy.

“Since older Filipinos will represent a larger portion of the Philippine society in the future, the nation must plan to meet the needs of this population,” says Badana. The older adult population continues growing and is expected to overtake the population of citizens ages 0-14 in the next decade. “The major policies in the Philippines encompass only families with young children, so expanding these benefits and services to older adults and their families may alleviate financial strain and enhance their quality of life.”

Like in most Eastern Asian countries, the aging Filipinos are often cared for by family members. However, the Philippine population is unique because the country currently has a lower portion of older citizens as compared to other Asian nations like Japan. Additionally, Filippino caregivers differ from those in other Asian cultures since both males and females share in the care decision process. “They often turn to Roman Catholicism to cope with caregiving-related strain,” says Badana. “and different family members and friends may contribute to care provision in different ways, such as financial support, medication management, or transportation.”

“It is a great honor to mentor students like Adrian,” Dr. Andel says. “Dr. Bill Haley, Adrian’s main advisor, presented this idea and Adrian was able to work diligently to write a compelling article. The outcome and response to the article from the Philippines and globally is icing on the cake.”

Badana’s research supporting these ideas is poised to have a substantial impact on older Filipinos. Dr. Andel notes that the response to the article, which has gone viral in the aging studies community worldwide, is unprecedented. On ResearchGate.net, the article has been the most read publication in the School of Aging Studies for over 8 consecutive months, and it has been one of the top 10 most read publications at USF for 5 months, with over 6,500 reads and rising as of December 2018.

Policy concerning aging Filipinos has a long way to go, according to Badana. “Older Filipinos need more recognition in national policies, and they need to be represented as active members in society. Since the Philippines has many various ethnic groups throughout the provinces, the nation must also identify the different needs of older citizens in these groups and tailor services and programs specifically for them and their families.”

Debra Dobbs, Associate Professor, School of Aging Studies, was awarded a grant from the Florida Department of Health's Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer's Disease Research Program, in the amount of approximately $250K for a two-year project titled, Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living for Care Providers of Residents with Dementia.   The project, which begins in February, 2019, is a clinical trial of 12 Tampa Bay area assisted living communities in collaboration with Life Path Hospice in Tampa, an entity of Chapters Health and Suncoast Hospice in Clearwater, an entity of Empath Health.  Hospice community nurse educators will implement the educational program for nurses in six of the assisted living communities to test the efficacy of the program on quality of end-of-life care for residents with dementia.