INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Welcome New &Returning Students p 1

Research & Reports p 2

Director’s Column p 3

Meet the New Students p 4-5

Summer Practicums p 6

Gerontology Student Gets Grant for LocalCommunity Center p 7

Farewell, Abbe/Calendar & Events p 8

AGE AND AGENCYMiami University

Oxford, OhioFall 2010

www.scrippsaging.org

We are all aging. Age and Agency, an original publi-cation of the Scripps Ger-ontology Center, serves to examine the dynamics of aging while providing in-formation on the contribu-tions we make to improve the lives of aging people. Through this newsletter, we intend to update friends, colleagues, and students about our activities in re-search and scholarship, education and training, and professional service.

Age and Agency, Vol. 20 - Scripps Gerontology Center of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio

“It is not by the gray of the hair that one knows the age of the heart.” Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Miami & Scripps Welcome New and Returning Gerontology Graduate Students

Miami’s Department of Sociology and Gerontology and the Scripps Ger-ontology Center welcomed 13 new students into the university’s graduate programs in gerontology for the Fall 2010 semester. Four of the new stu-dents are in the inaugural joint mas-ter’s degree program in population and social gerontology (MPSG) and will study this year at Miami and next year at Mahidol Unniversity, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Seven others are master of geron-tological studies (MGS) students, and two more are new to the PhD in social gerontology program. Alto-gether, Miami now has 43 graduate students in gerontology (26 PhD, 13 MGS, and 4 MPSG). The students represent 11 countries, making this year’s group the largest and most diverse yet. Find out more about our new students on pages four and five of this newsletter.

Research & Publications Risk Factors for Falling Among PASSPORT Clients, AAAs Integral to Choices in Aging Services

Page 2 Fall 2010

For more information on Scripps research projects and publications, please see the Scripps website: http://www.scrippsaging.org and click on “research,”

then select “current research” and/ or “publications”; or call 513/529-2914.

“Fall Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Elderly Who Receive Med-icaid-Supported Home- and Commu-nity-Based Services” (2010), Takashi Yamashita, Haesang Jeon, John Bail-er, Ian Nelson and Shahla Mehdiza-deh.

This study, accepted for publication in the Journal of Aging and Health, devel-oped a model for identifying risk factors for falls among frail, older persons. It is based on data from 23,812 clients in Ohio’s PASSPORT program, which pro-vides in-home services to older Ohioans qualifying for nursing home care. A va-riety of risk factors for falling were ana-lyzed in this population using logistic re-gression. Based on the study, the 10 lead-ing risk factors for falling among frail, older home-care recipients are: previous history of falls; age (the older, the more likely to fall); Caucasian race more sus-ceptible (than African-Americans); in-continence; medications (the more medi-cations, the more likely to fall); fewer ac-tivities of daily living (ADL) limitations; unsteady gait; tremors; absence of grasp weakness; and absence of supervision.

Interestingly, as observed above, fewer ADL limitations and “absence of grasp weakness” translated into risk factors, perhaps due to an overly confi-dent approach to movement. The study concludes that: “Because these (10) risk factors are already measured during the eligibility-determination process, use of existing information about PASSPORT participants is a first step in developing a simple screening tool for case man-agers to identify those who may be at a higher risk of falling. With regard to

practice, incorporating the fall screening tools and intervention programs (e.g., The Timed-Up and Go test; Choices Stepping Reaction Time test; and Stand Up!) is recommended to prevent falls in home-care services. With regard to fu-ture study, careful selection of variables considering the characteristics of the focused population should be practiced, particularly in the study of the frail, old-

“The Role of the Aging Services Network in Balancing and Trans-forming the Long-Term Care Sys-tem” (2010), Suzanne Kunkel & Abbe Lackmeyer.

This recently published article (Public Policy & Aging Report, Vol. 20, No. 1) states that our country’s 629 area agencies on aging (AAAs) and 243 Tribal Organizations (Title VI programs) are playing an increasingly central role in providing older Ameri-

cans more choice and autonomy re-garding home- and community-based (HCBS) services. One very notice-able result, according to the article, has been a steadily rising percentage of Medicaid long-term care spend-ing directed to HCBS, a proportion that has grown from just 13 percent in 1990 to over 40 percent in 2007.

The article also notes that the shift away from institutional services for older Americans is driven by both the comparatively high cost of such care and an increase in “consumer demands for options that better reflect their preferences.”

A key indicator of those prefer-ences, observes Suzanne Kunkel, PhD, director of the Scripps Ger-ontology Center and co-author of the article, has been the nationwide growth of consumer-directed home-care programs, including in Ohio via the Choices initiative in the central, northwest and southeast parts of the state. Consumer-directed services - which generally allow clients to hire and direct family, friends, neighbors and others to provide their services in a manner most convenient and ef-ficient for them - are now offered by nearly half (48%) of all AAAs.

Additionally, the report reveals that 82 percent of the country’s AAAs serve as single points of en-try for those seeking aging-related services for themselves and/or their loved ones, and that nearly all (94%) AAAs offer health-promotion ac-tivities as well as caregiver-support programs (93.7%).

Matters of Fact

Page 3Fall 2010

Updates from UphamDirector’s Notes

Dr. Suzanne Kunkel

• Americans, with an average life expectancy of approximately 78 years, rank 27th among 170 countries charted by the World Health Organization. (Professor Scott Lynch, Cottrell Lecture, 2010)

• African Americans, with an average life expectancy of under 72 years, would rank 70th among other countries (if disaggregated from the rest of the U.S. population). (ibid.)

• Licensed social workers and nurses are employed in over half (64% & 52.0%, respectively) of area agencies on aging. (Scripps)

• Information and Referral Specialists and Case Managers are the most common AAA positions, with 84.4% and 73.5% of AAAs, re-spectively, employing people in these staff positions. (ibid.)

Another school year has begun, and we are busy! New students, new research projects, and a new joint master’s degree program in population studies and gerontol-ogy (MPSG) with Mahidol Uni-versity in Bangkok, Thailand, have gotten us off to a great start.

Additionally, with the recent de-but of our newly improved website (www.scrippsaging.org), we’ve got a brand new way of helping all of you keep more up-to-date with all of the educational, research and service-related activities going on here at Scripps.

The home page of our new web-site features colorful, rotating pho-tographs of our staff, students and beautiful campus, and plenty of in-teractive links to connect readers to larger bodies of information on matters of interest and importance to them.

For example, the site includes a changing series of Did You Know? facts that, with a click of the mouse, will connect readers to the full re-port from which the fact(s) came. Similarly, our home page offers a series of titles under the headings of

“Links,” and “Contact Us”). The new website is more eye-catching and places more emphasis on current activities and links to larger bodies of information, including over 100 aging-related organizations.

Soon, we will be adding a spe-cial web page to help readers keep up with our alums and all that they are achieving on behalf of older persons in this country and around the world.

And, for those of you who may wish to support our work here at Scripps, the new website offers a Support the Center link that al-lows for monthly, quarterly and yearly online pledges, as well as bequests and other one-time dona-tions.

Regardless of form of support, please know that your interest in our work here at Scripps is much appre-ciated, and we hope our new website makes it easier for all of you to join us in helping make the world a better place in which to grow old.

Sincerely,Suzanne Kunkel, Director

Scripps Gerontology Center

“New Publications,” “Events,” and “News,”that, with a quick click, will link readers to our most recent publications and reports, upcom-ing events, and items of general interest regarding faculty, staff and students.

For those who’ve grown used to our former website, don’t worry, the home page will keep the original di-rectory (“Home,” “About Us,” “Re-search,” “Publications,” “Graduate Programs,” “Events,” “Newsletter,”

Fall 2010Page 4

Miami University’s Department

of Sociology and Gerontology and the Scripps Gerontology Center welcomed 13 new students into the university’s graduate programs in gerontology this Fall 2010. Scripps held an informal student-faculty/staff “get-acquainted” lunch in the Scripps Library on Aug. 20 to get the year started on a friendly note.

First-Year MPSG Students

Suporn Jaratsit – Suporn holds an undergraduate degree in sta-tistics from Kasetsart University in Thailand as well as a master’s degree in population development from Thailand’s National Institute of Development Administration. She is most interested in long-term care and finds the study of geron-tology appealing because it inte-grates so many other academic and social fields.

Rungphet Phatchana – Rungphet (“Phet”), from Thailand, earned his undergraduate degree in Euro-pean public health from Maastricht University in Maastricht, Neth-erlands. Phet observes that more people around the world are living longer lives, and he would like to help plan and carry out the next steps to ensure that quality of life improves along with its quantiy.

Courtney Pycraft – Courtney comes from Oberlin, Ohio, by way of Goucher College (bachelor’s

in the program” to further her education in gerontology here. Hannah’s interest in aging stems from the personal experience of caring for her grandparents. She is particularly drawn to global aging and issues of aging related to veterans, immigrants and cross-cultural relationships.

First-Year MGS Students

Amber Cable – Amber is an In-diana native who has bachelor degrees in both sociology and Germanic studies from Indiana University. She took to the field of aging early on while growing up as “a disciple of my grandpar-ents,” and her special interests in gerontology include intergenera-tional relationships and the re-in-tegration of older persons into the community and society, particu-larly the oldest old.

Sarah Hahn – Sarah, from New Jersey, has bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology (with a concentration in gerontology) from the State University of New York in Cortland. Sarah was inspired to pursue gerontology by a college professor whose passion for the subject was contagious. She says that “right now, my interests are scattered all over the field of aging. I want to take in as much as possible, and I hope that within my first year I can narrow it down more.”

Scripps Welcomes New Students

degree in sociology), a small lib-eral arts school with an emphasis on international study, in Towson, Md. Courtney solidified a child-hood appreciation of older persons and gerontology (via a close rela-tionship with her grandparents and other elders) while working as a senior-service volunteer coordina-

tor at the Stanley M. Isaacs Neigh-borhood Center in New York City (East Harlem) after graduation from college. Her research inter-ests include health and aging and cross-cultural aging.

Hannah Stohry – Hannah is an Indiana native who has also lived in Europe and Asia. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Miami University and “was influenced by some friends

Phet Phatchana, new MPSG student from Thailand

Summer PracticumsField Placements Send Gerontology Students Near and Far

Page 5Fall 2010

Ho Sang Lee – Ho Sang is from South Korea and, more recently, California. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Uni-versity of California at Irvine and is particularly interested in psycholo-gy as related to older persons “and how the aging of a family member can affect the whole family.”

James Muruthi – James (“J.R.”) is from Naivasha, Kenya, and last spring earned a bachelor’s degree in gerontology and interdisciplinary studies from Miami University. J.R.’s interest in gerontology comes from a close relationship with his grandmother, and he hopes to focus on global aging and aging policy to improve life for older persons, worldwide, and especially for those in Kenya. You can read more about J.R. and his accomplishments as an undergraduate on page seven.

Alex Vincent – Alex was born in Dayton, but grew up in Jamestown, New York. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University and would like to help improve the quality of services and care in long-term care facilities. Eventually, he hopes to become an administrator of a long-term care facility.

Anthony Williams – Anthony is a native of the Cincinnati area (Nor-wood) and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami Univer-sity. He first became interested in aging while taking undergraduate courses in gerontology, interning

sessed the impact of the govern-ment’s programs for farmers and their beneficiaries. Karel’s work on this project made her aware of the urgent importance of address-ing older farmers’ needs as well as the needs of their families.

Jasleen Chahal – Jasleen, from Kentucky, is a summer 2010 gradu-ate of Miami’s MGS program. She earned a BS in Hispanic studies with a minor in pre-med from the University of Kentucky. Her inter-est in gerontology is derived from “growing up in an intergenerational household” and both caring for and learning from her grandparents. Jasleen’s areas of special focus in aging include global aging, chronic disease self-management, evalua-tion research, palliative care, and health and aging in minority popu-lations. Her MGS critical inquiry, titled “A Feasibility Study of the Use of Stanford’s Chronic Dis-ease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) by the Ohio Hispanic Population,” examined how gov-ernment health and aging-service organizations could better serve the Hispanic population in Ohio regarding chronic disease preven-tion and management.

Christina Eduafo – Christina is from Ghana and recently gradu-ated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio, just east of Xenia). She will begin her MGS studies at Miami in January.

Scripps Welcomes New Students(Continued)

and doing field work at local senior centers and long-term care facili-ties. His “major areas of interest in gerontology are in long-term care and social insurance programs for the aged.”

First-Year Doctoral Students

Karel Kalaw – Karel is from the Philip-pine Islands and her undergraduate de-gree in sociology is from the University of the Philippines Los Banos. She also holds a master’s degree in gerontology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She developed an affinity for older persons and the aging process in her youth, and she is particularly interested in rural aging and migra-tion studies. In the Philippines, Karel was part of a research project that as-

Karel Kalaw, first year doctoral student from

the Philippines

Page 6 Fall 2010

Summer PracticumsHands-On Experiences Give MGS Students Focus in Second Year

Master of Gerontological Studies (MGS) second-year students returned to campus energized and enthusiastic following their summer practicums. All six lived up to practicum coordi-nator Kathryn McGrew’s billing (“It’s great to hear the agencies raving about the students.”) with polished presenta-tions on their experiences to a MacMil-lan Hall roomful of fellow gerontology students, faculty and staff.

Elizabeth Carpio – Elizabeth, a former director of Senior Services for the Salt River Pima-Mari copa In-dian Community in Mari copa Coun-ty, Ariz., returned to Arizona to work with the Arizona Health-Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state Medicaid agency in the Of-fice of the Director of Intergovern-mental Affairs/Tribal Relations. She attended several meetings with American Indian tribal organiza-tions, contributed to a concept paper proposing an independent Medic-aid system specifically for Ameri-can Indians in Arizona, and learned about the practicalities associated with policy development.

Rebecca Hart – Rebecca experi-enced her practicum at the Alexian Brothers Valley Residence, a 42-bed facility for those with dementia and/or memory impairments in Chatta-nooga, Tenn. She focused on engag-ing residents with art-therapy activi-ties, including principles and proto-cols she had learned at Miami while serving as a graduate assistant with the Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) program. She also observed budget operations and developed a staff training manual.

Megan Imka – Megan mixed busi-ness with pleasure in her hometown of Cleveland this summer, serving as a “jack-of-all-trades” at the Jennings Center for Older Adults, a faith-based continuing care retirement center (CCRC). In that role, Megan par-ticipated in a variety of experiences both menial and cerebral, serving as everything from dishwasher, cook and driveway painter to resident-satisfaction survey designer, clinical service worker and activities leader.

Kim Linde – Like Megan (above), Kim wore many hats during her practicum with the Minnesota Board on Aging, the third oldest state orga-nization on aging in the country. Kim also wore many hats (literally) for her presentation: a Minnesota Twins ball cap to represent teamwork; a tri-corn explorer’s hat to honor the new and adventurous learning opportuni-ties available at the agency; a yel-low hardhat to connote the various projects she worked on, including regional gap analyses based on the availability of aging services in Min-nesota’s 87 counties, and a research review of the decision-making pro-cess of those considering participa-tion in Minnesota’s nursing-home di-version program, Live Well at Home;

and, finally, a Miami University hat to symbolize returning to campus and resuming her studies.

Lauren (Jackson) Mindemann – Lauren learned a great deal about hospital administration and a wide variety of related programs and ser-vices while leaving a very positive impression at the Robley Rex Vet-eran Affairs Medical Center in Lou-isville, Ky. Lauren helped out with the center’s unique bereavement program for veterans grieving the loss of other veterans, conducted a literature review on the broader subject of bereavement, and also assisted with the center’s veterans’ needs assessments and veterans’ hospice volunteer project.

Philip Sauer – As Dr. McGrew not-ed, “you don’t have to go far away to have a fantastic (practicum) experi-ence,” and Phil, working this summer with the Council on Aging of South-western Ohio, offered ample proof of that. Helping out with the program operations and communications di-vision, Phil was given independence and encouragement to work on the Butler County senior-service levy campaign as well as the organiza-tion’s newsletter, web design, Face-book and other social media commu-nications and public relations efforts. Phil, who has dual citizenship in Germany and Great Britain, said he found the American workplace much more informal (“They even eat at meetings!”) than in Germany while still maintaining a very strong work ethic, readiness to help, and sense of purpose.

“It’s great to hearthe agenciesraving about

our students.”

Phillips, and she was all for it. So, I did the math, did all the research, and wrote a proposal to the Greater Cin-cinnati Foundation,” he recalls. “It took me about three or four weeks to get everything formalized for submis-sion. I was very pleased when I heard that the grant for the van came through right before my graduation.”

So was the center. “We’re all grate-ful to James for getting us money for the van,” Phillips says. “He took the initiative and did it all himself. He was a tremendous asset, interacted very well with the kids and the se-niors, a dedicated worker who repre-sented Miami in a thoroughly profes-sional manner.” Phillips adds that J. R. also devised and conducted a cli-ent survey for BTWCC that helped the center better understand and serve the needs of its older clients.

Page 7Fall 2010

J .R. Can DoMiami Gerontology Student Gets Grant for Hamilton Community Center

The down-to-earth, “can-do” de-meanor James “J.R.” Muruthi ac-quired while growing up on a 12-acre farm in Naivasha, Kenya, served the recent Miami graduate in gerontology and interdisciplinary studies (spring 2010) well in his studies.

That approach also served the Book-er T. Washington Community Center (BTWCC) in nearby Hamilton, where J.R. wrote a grant proposal last spring semester resulting in funding for the purchase of a van to transport the cen-ter’s older persons and younger popu-lation on field trips and to other desti-nations as the need arises.

The successful grant proposal stemmed from J.R.’s senior capstone project at Miami University. Over-seen by Jennifer Kinney, Miami pro-fessor of sociology and gerontology, the project placed J.R. at the BTW-CC from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Janu-ary through April, 2010. There, Regi-na Phillips, BTWCC’s executive di-rector, gave him the autonomy to help out in any way that he felt would most benefit the center. J.R. didn’t have to look long at BTWCC’s rusty ’84 cargo van (with 450,000 miles on the odometer), or the increasing need of transportation for the center’s clients, to realize what an asset a safe, reliable vehicle would be for the center.

“Many of the children needed rides home from the center at night, and it seemed to me that the older persons would enjoy and benefit from exter-nal exposure, getting out to take ad-vantage of social and recreational events in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas,” J.R. observes. “The need was quite clear. I ran the idea past Ms.

J.R. says he became interested in gerontology, in part, because of some of the suffering he saw among older people in and around Naiva-sha, a scenic area, just south of the equator, known for its diverse wild-life and flowers as well as Mount Longonot, a dormant volcano. “El-ders in Africa used to be held in very high respect,” he notes, “but, sad to say, that is changing. And I always wondered, ‘What does it feel like to be old?’ I wanted to learn so I can help, and, maybe, with my interest in public policy, change things to make life better for older people.”

J.R. is building on that interest this fall as he begins work for his MGS degree at Miami. He chose Miami’s MGS program because of the great experience he had in ger-ontology as an undergraduate. “I liked all my classes and professors, Jennifer Kinney, Kathryn McGrew, and Lisa Groger’s course on global aging,” he states.

“Miami offers an outstanding edu-cational experience, with high-level learning opportunities. … And, it’s where I met my girlfriend, Bertanna Abrams. I would like to mention her, because she’s been so support-ive and helpful to me.”

That’s a kindness J.R., in turn, would like to bestow upon others af-ter earning his master’s degree. His sights are set on working in aging pol-icy development with the United Na-tions or other global institutions, such as the Red Cross or World Health Or-ganization. “I would like to return to Kenya some day,” he says, “but I will go wherever the job takes me. Wher-ever I might do the most good.”

James “J.R.” Muruthi

Age and AgencyVol. 20 Fall 2010

Mike PayneEditor

Scripps Gerontology CenterMiami University396 Upham HallOxford, OH 45056

Phone: 513-529-2914Fax: 513-529-1476

scripps@muohio.edu

www.scrippsaging.org

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMIAMI UNIVERSITY

Calendar

date

s, m

eetin

gs, c

onfe

renc

es ..

. Nov. 30, 20107:00 - 8:00 p.m.

W. Fred “Doc” Cottrell Distinguished Alumni Lecture

Shriver Center Multipurpose Rooms A & B

Dan O’ConnorPresident of Ohio Presbyterian

Service Communities

“Leading the Retirement Communities of Tomorrow

Through the Turbulent Timesof Today”

Refreshments will be served after the lecture

Scripps Gerontology CenterMiami UniversityOxford, Ohio 45056

Return Service Requested

Farewell, AbbeScripps said a sad farewell this Sep-tember to Abbe Linscott Lackmey-er, who managed our project with n4a the past three and one-half years. Our loss is the gain of the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, where Abbe will be an Eval-uation Analyst with the Business Intelligence team. Abbe says she feels blessed to have worked with such talented, caring people, and Scripps returns that compliment to her. All the best, Abbe. Hope to see you at a conference soon.

Page 8 Fall 2010