Ithaca College Gerontology Institute
Volume 8 #3 Summer/Fall 2001

The Ithaca College Gerontology Institute newsletter is designed to keep the campus and community informed of institute activities and other events related to the field of gerontology.
Our address is ICGI Newsletter, Ithaca College, 407 Center for Health Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14850; phone (607) 274-1965; www.ithaca.edu/aging.
Notes from the Director
I am pleased to welcome you to another ICGI newsletter. This fall marks the first full academic year for our gerontology majors, and we are fortunate to have hired two top-notch tenure track faculty to teach in the program. The initial response has been excellent, and enrollment in the program is expected to grow by approximately 10 to 15 students each year. We also welcome a number of new staff members as the Gerontology Institute continues to grow. Information on all of our programs can be found on our website at www.ithaca.edu/aging. I hope you enjoy this issue, and I look forward to seeing you at one of the Gerontology Institute's many programs.

John A. Krout, Director

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:
Katherine Beissner, a professor of physical therapy at Ithaca College since 1986, has been appointed interim associate dean of the College's School of Health Sciences and Human Performance. For the past three years, Beissner has served as chair of the Department of Physical Therapy.

Beissner received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas, her master's degree from Texas Woman's University, and her Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

An early member of the College's gerontology task force (now the Gerontology Institute College Advisory Council) under the leadership of William Scoones (currently IC's interim provost), she was involved in the development of the Gerontology Institute and participated in the national search for the founding director, John A. Krout. During her 15 years of involvement with gerontology at Ithaca College, she has had a part in many decisions on the direction of the institute. She most recently served as chair of the search committee responsible for hiring two new faculty members.

"The institute is part of my life," Beissner says. "I've seen its growth and outreach, and it is incredible."

Beissner, who teaches Rehabilitation for Older Adults, is currently involved in a research project on the relationship of strength and flexibility to daily function in the aging. She hopes to expand her research and work toward safer living environments.

A member of the board of directors of Ithacare since 1994, Beissner helped in its relocation from Quarry Street to South Hill. She is married to Harry Kaiser; their three children are Mason, age seven; Anya, age five; and Elizabeth, age two.

Friedland to Speak on Workforce Issues As Long-Term Care Changes
On Thursday, November 1, Robert B. Friedland, Ph.D., will present a lecture at Ithaca College titled "More People with Chronic and Disabling Conditions: Who Will Be There to Care?" The lecture, in the Clark Lounge, Egbert Hall, begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception; the event is free and open to the public.

Friedland is the founding director of the Center on an Aging Society, based at the Institute for Health Care Research and Policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He has garnered extensive research and public policy experience as chief economist for Maryland's Medicaid program, senior research associate at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, director of the Public Policy Institute of the American Association of Retired Persons, research director for the National Academy of Social Insurance, and economist on the staff of the United States Bipartisan Commission on Comprehensive Health Care, better known as the Pepper commission after its chair, the late former senator Claude Pepper.

Friedland, who received a doctorate in economics from George Washington University, has written on issues pertaining to long-term care, retirement income security, and the financing and delivery of health care. His book Facing the Costs of Long-Term Care received the 1992 Elizur Wright Award from the American Risk and Insurance Association. Friedland serves on the board of the National Academy for State Health Policy, the Long-Term Care Education Foundation, and the editorial board of Aging Today.

It's a Wonderful Night for a (Harvest) Moon Dance
On Friday, September 21, the student club AGES (Aging and Gerontological Education Society) will host the 10th anniversary edition of the Harvest Moon Dance.

This popular event will be held in the Emerson Suites, Phillips Hall, at Ithaca College and is free and open to the public. Classy Brass will once again provide dance music, and refreshments will be served. If you'd like an invitation and have not received one, please let us know by calling 607-274-1967.
.

Want to Attend SSA Conference? ICGI, SSA May Help Pay Your Way!

The State Society on Aging of New York will host its 29th annual conference at the Desmond in Albany, New York, on October 10, 11, and 12. The 2001 conference theme is "Health and Harmony in Aging." The Gerontology Institute encourages interested students and faculty to attend this event-an excellent opportunity to learn more about current issues and network with professionals in aging. Both SSA and the Gerontology Institute offer assistance to students who wish to participate. Full-time undergraduate and graduate students may apply for a scholarship to cover the registration fee and most meals. (The fee varies by number of days of attendance.)

The institute will pay for students' College-coordinated transportation and shared hotel accommodations. Ithaca College faculty members who wish to attend may apply for registration fee and/or travel assistance from the Gerontology Institute.

Faculty participants are responsible for their own lodging and any other expenses. Please contact the Gerontology Institute at 274-1965 or check the ICGI website at www.ithaca.edu/aging for more information.

ICGI and Pathways in New York Times
On March 21, 2001, the New York Times published a report by Jay Tokasz '92, titled "White Hairs Settle in Among the Ivy." Tokasz's article was about the trend in building senior living communities close to, and in some cases on, college campuses. Tokasz also commented on the Ithaca College- Cornell University Pathways to Life Quality study on housing concerns and choices for older adults. After graduating from Ithaca College, Tokasz worked at the Ithaca Journal before moving to Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle. He now freelances for the New York Times. To read the Tokasz story online, please visit the ICGI web page at www.ithaca.edu/aging.

Academic Program Highlights
The College's B.A. and B.S. programs in gerontology are up and running. Approval of the major by the State Department of Education came too late to actively recruit incoming freshmen for this academic year, but the program is under way as of the fall 2001 semester with four internal and external transfer students as majors. The requirements for the new major are outlined below.

• The gerontology minor has been revised to incorporate several new courses and to better reflect the standards set forth by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education. Forty-five students from a variety of IC majors are currently enrolled in the minor.
• During summer orientation 2001 we added a sixth section of Introduction to Gerontology in response to the large number of requests for the class.
• Mary Ann Erickson and Patty Lynott, who were hired to fill the Institute's two tenure track faculty positions, join gerontology faculty members Christine Pogorzala and John A. Krout as of the fall semester.
• Carolyn Peterson and Deborah Totten received their certificates in gerontology at the Ithaca College Adult Student Luncheon on May 3. Both were honored for completing the 24-credit program with a grade point average of over 4.0.
• Four new students have been admitted to the program, beginning in fall 2001.

Course Credit Requirements-Gerontology Major (30 credits)
680-10100 Introduction to Gerontology (3)
303-20500 Biology of Aging (3)
680-29010 Fieldwork in Gerontology (3)
680-31900 Aging Policies and Programs (3)
680-33000 Research Methods in Aging (3)
680-40100 Gerontology Internship (3)
680-48000 Gerontology Senior Seminar (3)
640-20500 Critical Health Issues (3)
330-36600 Psychology of Aging (3)
339-34000 Aging and Culture (3) or
331-22000 Sociology of Aging (3)
Gerontology Electives (12 Credits)
680-32100 Interdisciplinary Initiatives in Rural Geriatrics (3)* 680-32500 The Long-Term Care System (3)
680-33500 Research Experience in Gerontology (3)
680-38900 Special Topics in Applied Gerontology (1-3)* 680-39900 Special Topics in Social Gerontology (1-3)
680-49900 Independent Study (1-4)
680-41400 Long-Term Care Services Administration (3)* 554-41100 Creative Musical Experience with Older Adults (3) 620-24900 Hearing Loss in the Elderly (3)*
620-35900 Comm/Disorders in the Aging Population (3)
661-23800 Leisure and Aging (3)
662-24000 Health Promotion and the Older Adult (3)
662-32200 Nutrition for the Older Adult (3)
670-20200 Rehabilitation for Older Adults (1)*
General Education Distribution Requirements (42 credits) Students choose courses from groups addressing the following: Self and society (6)
Global issues (3)
Diversity (6)
Ethics and values (3)
Speech communication (6)
Statistics (3)
Economics and policy (6)
Writing (6)
Visual and performing arts (3)
Minor or Planned Interdisciplinary Combination (16-24 Credits)
Free Electives (12-20 Credits)
Total for Major: 120 Credits

Lynott to Teach Gerontogy Majors
Patricia Passuth Lynott, who joined the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute faculty in August, begins teaching Introduction to Gerontology in the fall semester. As the gerontology majors move through the program, she will teach Research Methods, Long-Term Care Services, and a practicum. Lynott will also work with the academic program coordinator, Pamela Mayberry, in developing new courses.

Lynott comes to Ithaca from the State University of West Georgia, where she was director/coordinator of the master's program in gerontology. She cites teaching and direct contact with students as her passion, and is enthusiastically promoting the new Ithaca College gerontology major. Particularly impressive, she feels, are the institute's people and its student mentoring, research, community outreach, and Longview partnership.

Her interest in gerontology began with a class project in graduate school that replicated Bernice Neugarten's classic study of age norms. She con- siders gerontology "a fascinating field that requires one to examine physical, social, and psychological changes over the course of life." She plans to continue to pursue her research work, perhaps linking it with the Pathways to Life Quality study. Lynott received her B.A. in sociology from the University of Virginia, and her M.A. and Ph.D., also in sociology, from Northwestern University.

She has coauthored articles on social theories of aging with her husband, Bob, who is also a gerontologist. The couple have an eight-year-old daughter, Sarah.

Peggy McKernan to Manage
Public School Project
ICGI welcomes Peggy McKernan, who joined the staff this summer as project manager for Gerontology Infusion in Grades 7-12, a grant-funded program to develop and present information about aging in public school curricula.

As reported in our spring 2001 newsletter, Ithaca College has received $240,000 to expand on the success of the original three-year infusion grant. In the first three years, the institute worked with middle school and high school faculty in the city of Ithaca to create a two-week unit on gerontology. The unit is now part of the required Participation in Government course for Ithaca High School seniors. The new funding will allow ICGI to field-test lessons in other Tompkins County school districts.

Building on the solid foundation established for the program by IC professor of history Zenon Wasyliw, McKernan will direct all phases of the expanded infusion project. Wasyliw will continue as co-principal investigator with ICGI director John A. Krout.

McKernan, who graduated from Temple University, has done graduate work at Temple and the University of Toronto; she received a master's degree in business administration from Cornell University. Before joining ICGI, McKernan was the director of technical preparatory and school-to-work programs at Tompkins-Cortland Community College in Dryden, New York.

"Issues related to aging will be major influences on American life and government policy" in the years to come, says McKernan. She values the field of gerontology for "its multidisciplinary perspective, integrating the study of psychology, sociology, economics and health care." McKernan adds, "I hope to continue working with teachers on projects that have the potential for long-term impact on society. Most important, I hope to always work in an intellectually stimulating environment with people who care about what they're doing." McKernan, who has been an Ithaca resident since her Cornell days, has a five-year-old daughter, Chunmei.

Aging and Creativity Conference
The May 24 gerontology conference, "Aging and Creativity," hosted by ICGI at Ithaca College, drew an audience of 120 people with a variety of backgrounds and interests. Many came away with ideas for future community collaboration and arts programming involving older adults.

Keynote speaker

Gene D. Cohen, Ph.D., of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, talked about creativity in both artistic and social contexts, and commented on the neurotransmitters in the brain that affect creativity. Biological aging, he pointed out, may actually enhance the creative process. While aging poses very real challenges, he argued that creative potential exists in later life: "Old age adds as it takes away."

Cohen noted that older adults dominate the folk arts, with many artists starting in their 60s, 70s, and beyond. Ideally, he said, age can merge "inner freedom" from worry with "outer freedom" from child-raising and career demands, to spur a new phase of creativity. Cohen's book The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life examines this concept in detail.

Six sessions rounded out the conference, exploring ways to unlock creative potential or use the arts in therapeutic interventions. A performance showcase featuring five talent acts was followed by a panel discussion with the performers. Susan Perlstein, director of the National Center for Creative Aging/Elders Share the Arts, and Richard Driscoll, executive director of the Tompkins County Community Arts Partnership, moderated the panel, focusing on how age and creativity have interacted for the performers.|

For additional information on the conference, call 607-274-1967 or e-mail aging@ithaca.edu.

Mark Your Calendar!
Wednesday, May 29, 2002, ICGI Annual Conference "Innovations in Long-Term Care Service Delivery."

'On Our Own Terms'
Ithaca Group Surveys Local Views
During the summer of 2000, Nina Miller, director of Hospicare in Ithaca, organized a community consortium to promote the PBS series On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying. The four-part, six-hour television special aired last September. Hosted by Bill Moyers, it focused on issues facing the terminally ill.

The 16 organizations that comprised the consortium were a diverse cross-section of service agencies, professional health organizations, charitable groups, government offices, clergy, institutions of higher education, and residents of senior housing. Participants decided to help inform agencies and individuals in Tompkins County about how members of the community viewed end-of-life issues, so that concerned professionals could adapt their organizations and service delivery to make this difficult part of living easier for clients and families.

Drawing on the wide array of interests represented, the group developed a 28-item survey that was published in the Ithaca Journal, the Senior Circle, and Caregiver News. Printed copies were distributed by hand to senior housing facilities, colleges, and congregations. In addition, the Tompkins County Office for Aging developed an interactive on- line version of the survey. By March 31, 2001, the deadline for responses, 688 completed questionnaires were turned in.

Betty Falcao of the Tompkins County Health Planning Council and Kathy Ferguson, an Ithaca College senior intern, tabulated and analyzed the responses and developed a graphic presentation of the results. Falcao and Terry Beckley, outreach program coordinator for ICGI, have presented the findings to a number of interested community groups.

Complete results from the survey may be viewed at www.theithacajournal.com (click on "On Our Own Terms") or by writing to Betty Falcao, Human Services Coalition, 100 West State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850.

Coming to Terms: Local Views on End-of-Life Priorities
Respondents to the Ithaca area survey were asked what they believed would be most important in helping them prepare for dying. An analysis of the findings ranked the following priorities from highest to lowest: o Having realistic answers from physician

• Having family affairs settled o Physical comfort o Adequate pain control
• Outside help for family/friends o Visits from family members/friends
• Not being a burden to loved ones o Being able to complete a will
• Knowing how to say goodbye
• Getting finances in order
• Being able to stay at home
• Spiritual well-being
• Home visits by health care professionals
• Fulfilling personal goals/pleasures
• Reviewing life history with family
• Planning funeral o Visits by religious/spiritual adviser
• Attending services
  In-Service Mini-Modules Offered by AHGITT
  To assist rural agencies with their in-service and continuing education needs, the Allied Health Geriatric Team Training project at ICGI has developed a set of mini training modules. Each presents a topic in a one-hour session focusing on team treatment and rural concerns, and comes with copy-ready supplemental materials and reading lists. The modules can be viewed as PowerPoint presentations on a PC or used with an overhead projector. Faculty members with the AHGITT project are available to present the sessions at agencies and health care facilities, or the modules may be used independently for in-house training. Further information is available on the AHGITT project web page at www.ithaca.edu/aging/ ahgitt/index.html, or from Christine Decker, project manager, at 607-274-7007.

Pathways to Knowledge
This year marks the third wave of data collection in the Pathways to Life Quality longitudinal study. When in full swing, wave three of data collection will involve approximately 50 student interviewers from Ithaca College and Cornell University.

Among the findings to date from analysis of the first two waves of data:

• New residents of senior living facilities experience an initial period of social adjustment and feelings of lessened social involvement and integration.
• Residents of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) are less likely to use health/wellness facilities or take part in prevention activities than they are to respond to illness or chronic health problems.
• Residents of senior living facilities continue to use community-based transportation even as they make use of on-site services.
• There is considerable variation in satisfaction, health, social participation and integration, and other measures of well-being for residents of different senior housing facilities.
• There is considerable interest in senior housing options and less interest in, or expectation of, moving in with adult children as the ability to live independently declines.
• Reasons given for moving differ for those who relocate to a CCRC versus those who choose other senior living facilities. Residents of senior living facilities appear not to "age in place" as well as those living in the community. o Those older adults who have relocated report more limitations on their activities, are less satisfied with their housing, and are older than those who have not changed their living arrangements. This information is being used to address some of the problems associated with a move in later life. The Pathways to Life Quality study is the only project of its kind in the nation, and its findings continue to be of interest to academic and professional audiences alike. For more information please visit www.pathwayslifequality.org.

Congratulations
We congratulate Elaine Gebell on her recent promotion to FLGEC project coordinator. Gebell will be working closely with the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center's four community teams to deliver training in their multi-county regions.

Stroke Rehab at Longview
The Center for Life Skills at Longview has openings in its fall program for individuals who have had a stroke or other neurological disorder. The 8- to 10-week program provides two and one-half days of rehabilitative programming each week. For details contact Catherine Gooch, program manager, at 607-375-6312.

FLGEC Launches
Community Training Teams
Using a grant to provide geriatric training to health professionals in rural New York State, the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center has created four community geriatric training teams. The teams are composed of professionals from cooperative extension centers and local offices for the aging, together with groups of health and social services providers from the following counties: Allegany, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Delaware, Livingston, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates.

Each regional team is working with the support of the FLGEC staff at Ithaca College to identify geriatric training needs, target groups of health care professionals for events, organize sessions with speakers provided or sponsored by FLGEC, develop innovative ways to deliver future training, and facilitate sessions using video or Internet technology.

Team members who were on board last spring were invited to the first of a planned annual workshop series, held on May 31 at Ithaca College. Over 50 professionals attended the all-day workshop, developed to help them upgrade training in their communities. The event included a keynote address by John A. Krout, director, Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, titled "Demographics of Aging: Implications for Health and Aging Services." His talk focused on the 65-and-over population in the United States and New York State and its demographic impact on health and aging services.

Other topics and speakers included "The FLGEC Project: An Overview" by Jason Dauenhauer, FLGEC Rochester project coordinator, and Pamela Mayberry, ICGI associate director; "Assessing Training Needs in Your Region" by Jurgis Karusa, FLGEC director of evaluation and research; "Tour of Technology" by Rhoda Meador of Frontline Publishing; and "Choosing the Right Technology for Your Program: Lessons Learned from Maine's Interdisciplinary Rural Training Project" by Joann Kovacich, research associate from the University of Maine. Further information on training team activities is available from Elaine Gebell, FLGEC project coordinator, at 607-274-1609 or egebell@ithaca.edu.

IC/Longview Partnership:
Intergenerational Enrichment
The Ithaca College/Longview partnership has enjoyed a steady increase in participation, both by residents of Longview and by the students, faculty, and staff of Ithaca College.

During the spring 2001 semester, 293 IC students, 21 faculty, and 7 staff members were involved in activities offered to Longview residents. These included weekly programs by the College's faculty, such as a t'ai chi class taught by Dali Xu, Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences; a quilting group led by Carol Knight, Department of Occupational Therapy; a discussion group on reading and reminiscence held by Susanne Morgan, Department of Sociology; and a belly dance class taught by Katharyn Howd Machan, Department of Writing. In addition, four Longview residents audited IC classes in art history, philosophy and religion, and writing.

Members of the College community who wish to become involved in the IC/Longview partnership are invited to contact Christine Pogorzala, IC/Longview coordinator, at 274-1051 or pogorzal@ithaca.edu.

Keeping the Lines Open
To foster mutual awareness of activities at the Gerontology Institute and local agencies serving older adults, the Institute's community advisory group provides a forum for all parties to share information on outreach and education efforts. Current advisors are Willard Daetsch, retired IC professor; Betty Falcao, program director, Health Planning Council of Tompkins County; Edna Federer, retired; Marilyn Kinner, ombudsman for senior centers; Mark Macera, executive director, Ithacare Center Service Company; Joe Minogue, retired development officer; Tom Mosher, retired physician; Bill Scoones, Ithaca College interim provost; and Irene Stein, director, Office for Aging of Tompkins County.

Teleconference Held on Aging with Developmental Disabilities
On June 15, the Gerontology Institute participated in its first video teleconference, allowing presenters and attendees on the Ithaca campus and in Rochester to interact with each other in real time and "face-to-face. " Although several ICGI meetings and classes have used video conferencing technology to date, this was the first such program open to the public. The half-day conference, titled "Aging with Developmental Disabilities: Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle through Exercise and Diet," was sponsored by the Gerontology Institute, the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center, the Center for Lifetime Wellness, and the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities at Children's Hospital, University of Rochester School of Medicine. Rick Machemer of St. John Fisher College explored the basics of nutrients and energy acquisition in human nutrition. Maria Justice, nutrition program coordinator at the Center for Lifetime Wellness, reviewed pasta recipes and ideas for involving clients in their preparation. Karen Kessler, program manager for educational services at the Center for Lifetime Wellness, discussed the problem of inactivity in developmentally disabled adults and suggested a variety of ways to increase their activity levels. Frank Moreland, clinical coordinator for Lifetime Assistance (a business operating group homes for developmentally disabled residents), described an exercise program that has been implemented in a day services setting. As medical advances increase the quality of life and the longevity of individuals with developmental disabilities, caregivers face new challenges. To help address these, the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute is an active member of the Southern Tier Aging and Developmental Disabilities Coalition, a consortium representing Broome, Tioga, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, and Tompkins Counties. Information about the coalition's programs is available at 607-274-1967.

Forum Tackles
Nursing Home Staff Shortages
On June 22, approximately 60 people attended the Nursing Home Healthcare Forum at Lakeside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Ithaca. The forum, sponsored by the Healthcare Education Project and Assemblyman Martin Luster, drove home the message that New York's nursing homes provide good quality care, but urgently need additional funding to hire and retain skilled and dedicated workers. Panel members were Bonnie Brown of the Lakeside staff; Betty Fransden, Lakeside director; Marshall Blake, president of Service Employees International Union 1199 (upstate New York); Bob O'Conner, volunteer representative of the American Association for Retired Persons; and Assemblyman Luster.

Panelists and attendees discussed current problems underlying staff shortages and explored ways to remedy them. Some participants predicted a staffing crisis within 10 years, based on projected population growth; others argued that a crisis already exists. Assemblyman Luster agreed to relate specific accounts of staffing shortages to fellow legislators in Albany, and he encouraged New Yorkers to urge their representatives to address the issue as well.

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Web Site maintained by Penny Bianconi (pbianconi@ithaca.edu)
Updated October 17, 2001.