Gerontology faculty, students, and graduates present at GSA Scientific Meeting

Omaha – The GSA Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest annual gathering of researchers and practitioners in the field of aging. Nearly 4,000 professionals in the field of aging will have the opportunity to learn the latest trends and developments, build strategic partnerships, and network with peers.

Janelle Beadle, Ph.D., will present her research on caregiving, empathy, and prosocial behavior. Despite the stresses associated with caregiving, caregivers report higher empathy and behave in a more prosocial manner to a stranger in need than non-caregivers. Beadle is an assistant professor with the department.

Julie Boron, Ph.D., will examine the impact of age, hypertension, and the presence of APOEe4 allele on longitudinal change in cognitive flexibility in 1,024 participants from the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Higher cognitive flexibility is positively associated with adapting to changes during aging, which is important for maintaining independence in later life. Boron is an associate professor and doctoral program chair with the department.

Lyn Holley, Ph.D., will co-chair a symposium that addresses loneliness, social isolation, and social exclusion of older adults in rural areas and examines programs in Europe, the United States, Canada, and China that address these challenges at individual and community levels. She will also share the results of in-depth interviews with four elders who discuss the role of advocacy as a source of meaning in late life. Holley is a professor with the department.

Chris Kelly, Ph.D., will examine the small, but increasing presence of males in the direct care workforce. The greatest increase has been among male direct care workers who provide nonmedical services, in settings such as home care. Kelly is an associate professor and graduate program chair with the department.

Two students in the gerontology doctoral program will present their research at the conference.

Sarah Hubner will address dementia vulnerability and disease progression in minority groups, examining the relationship between gender, age, language, ethnicity, and education and their association with the development of dementia.

Judith Kim will discuss the relationship between social activity and depressive symptoms, in particular, social activities that involved a shared purpose and socialization with familiar individuals.

Two 2018 graduates of the gerontology doctoral program will also present their research at the conference.

Khanh Lai, Ph.D., will focus on the impact married couples have on one another’s memory ability. Her presentations will examine the role of individual characteristics such as lifestyle activities, psychological health, personality, and relationship qualities on episodic memory.

Wonjeong Haavisto. Ph.D., will discuss the impact of personality and depressive symptoms on memory. Her presentation will examine whether individual differences in personality and multifaceted depression explain discrepancies between subjective and objective memory and whether these relationships varied as a function of gender.

Participation in the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting is a demonstration of how the Department of Gerontology meets its mission and core purpose to create and disseminate innovative research that is imperative for current and future aging challenges and opportunities.