Volume 6 Number 3 Winter 2000
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, John A. Krout
As Ithaca settles into yet another winter season, the Gerontology Institute can look back on an active and productive fall. The allied health grant for geriatric interdisciplinary team training is up and running, and our rural outreach activities through the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center (FLGEC) are going strong. Some 50 Ithaca College and Cornell students are conducting interviews of older Tompkins County residents for the third round of Pathways to Life Quality data collection. Our intergenerational programs with Longview continue to expand with new and creative activities, as does our project on gerontology in the public school curriculum. Finally, the institute continues with its duties as an academic planning unit. The advisory council, in particular, has been hard at work planning the curriculum for the new gerontology major.
All of us at the Gerontology Institute wish you happy holidays and a joyous new year.
Allied Health Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Project
Ithaca College was recently awarded a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration/Bureau of Health Professions to fund the Allied Health Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training (AHGITT) project. The project will provide community-based geriatric team training for allied health students, faculty, clinical affiliation preceptors, and rural allied health practitioners.
Christine Decker returns to the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute in a new capacity as project manager of AHGITT; she is joined by Jasmin Cubero, administrative assistant. Janice Elich Monroe of the Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Services is the curriculum coordinator. John Bonaguro, assistant dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, and John A. Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute, are the co-principal investigators.
AHGITT will build on existing collaborative relationships between the Gerontology Institute, Ithaca College allied health faculty, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center (FLGEC) to accomplish the following objectives:
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To establish an Interdisciplinary Geriatric Assessment Training Demonstration Center for developing innovative training models
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To provide training through workshops and field experience in interdisciplinary geriatric assessment and rehabilitation for allied health faculty, clinical affiliation coordinators,
and rural allied health practitioners
- To create a focus area on rural interdisciplinary geriatric teams for Ithaca College students in occupational therapy, physical therapy, recreation therapy, and speech-language pathology and audiology. The focus area will include course work, fieldwork, and a clinical affiliation at a rural site where practitioners have been trained in interdisciplinary geriatric assessment
- To increase the number of Ithaca College allied health clinical affiliation sites in rural and medically underserved areas of New York state
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To establish a Web site that will provide information on interdisciplinary geriatric teams for allied health students, faculty, and practitioners. The Web site will facilitate communication between members of rural health care teams and encourage allied health students to consider working in rural settings
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To develop and implement communication skills training for IC graduate physical therapy faculty, students, and practicing clinicians from the Rochester area
- To develop an advanced interdisciplinary geriatric assessment internship for physical therapy, nursing, medicine, and social work students and faculty
If you are interested in participating in the training provided by this grant or would like additional information about the AHGITT project, contact Project Manager Christine Decker at the Gerontology Institute. She can be reached by phone at (607) 274-7007 or by e-mail at decker@ithaca.edu.
Faculty Spotlight: Janice Elich Monroe
The Gerontology Institute is fortunate to have the support and assistance of faculty members throughout the College. This is part of a series of articles highlighting professors with an interest in gerontology.
Janice Elich Monroe, an associate professor in Ithaca’s Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Services, has recently been appointed curriculum coordinator for the new Allied Health Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training project. (Please see the article about AHGITT on the previous page.) Some of Jan’s responsibilities include developing instructional material, acting as lead instructor for an interdisciplinary team course, training preceptors, and monitoring progress on the grant’s established objectives.
Jan earned her B.A. from the University of Southern Colorado, her M.S. from the University of Illinois, and her Ph.D. from Old Dominion University. She joined Ithaca College in August 1992 as an assistant professor, and in February 1999 she was awarded tenure. Her faculty service includes coordinating the therapeutic recreation major, instructing therapeutic recreation and recreation core courses, advising therapeutic recreation majors, and supervising Rho Phi Lambda. She belongs to several state and national professional organizations, publishes regularly in refereed journals, and has worked on numerous grants. Jan also serves as a Gerontology Institute affiliate.
Jan is married to Burt Monroe and has two teenage daughters, Lauren and Mandy. She is an avid gardener and cans many of her fruits and vegetables. She enjoys reading, crafts, and entertaining. Jan believes that traditions and heritage are very important. She remarks, “I believe we honor our ancestors and the gifts they have given us by practicing family traditions in their memory.”
ICGI’s May Conference
The Ithaca College Gerontology Institute’s annual conference will be held on Friday, May 19, 2000. This year’s daylong conference is entitled “Women Aging Wisely: Innovations in Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, and Treatment.” An advisory committee met in September to determine which of the many health concerns relevant to older women the conference should cover. Based on the committee’s findings, the program will address specific ailments, treatments, and ways for older women to stay healthy. Watch for the conference brochure in March for more details.
SSA Student Conference at Ithaca College
On Friday, February 18, 2000, Ithaca College will host the third annual student conference of the State Society on Aging of New York. As many as 75 graduate and undergraduate students from across the state are expected _to attend this year’s meeting, which is entitled “Students in Action: Gerontology Research and Internships.” Guest speakers, a faculty panel, and a poster session are just some of the activities scheduled for the daylong conference. Call (607) 274-1965 for additional information.
State Society on Aging (SSA) of New York
Eleven Ithaca College faculty and staff members and five students attended “Working Together Toward A Common Future: Interdisciplinary Initiatives in Aging,” the State Society on Aging of New York’s 27th annual conference, which was held October 27–29 of last year in Albany. The Schools of Health Sciences and Human Performance, Humanities and Sciences, and Business were all represented among Ithaca College’s delegates.
IC attendees presented several papers at the conference. Christine Pogorzala, IC/Longview coordinator, and John A. Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute, gave a paper entitled “Between a College and a Residential Community for Older Adults: The Ithaca College/Longview Experience.” In addition, Krout and Pamela Mayberry, assistant director of _the Gerontology Institute, participated in the symposium “Multidisciplinary Geriatric Education: Developing Effective Programming and Measuring Outcomes”; their contribution to the symposium was titled “Assessing and Meeting Training Needs of Rural Providers.” Nicholas D. Kline ’01, a student in the School of Business, presented “An Attempt to Increase the Infusion of Gerontology into Family and Consumer Science through the Development of a Curriculum Resource Guide.”
IC participants also collaborated with other Ithaca-area scholars and students. Zenon Wasyliw, an assistant professor in the Department of History, and Eric Pritz, a teacher at Boynton Middle School in Ithaca, presented their paper, “The Study of History and Historical Issues of Aging through Intergenerational Activities in the Social Studies Curriculum.” John A. Krout and Mary _Ann Erickson of Cornell University presented a joint paper entitled “Housing and Neighborhood Satisfaction in Upstate New York: The Pathways to Life Quality Study.” Finally, Elyse Kantrowitz, a senior human development major at Cornell University and Pathways project student, presented her award-winning poster entitled “Satisfaction with Personal Housing Characteristics in Senior Living Residences.”
Ithaca College Activities at Longview—Fall 1999
During the fall semester, IC faculty and students worked on a variety of intergenerational projects at Longview. Some of the activities included the following:
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Mara Alper (Department of Television-Radio)—screened her video on aging Susan Durnford (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology) and Linda Heyne (Department of Therapeutic Recreation and
Leisure Services)—led their students in conducting joint leisure
and speech/language assessments
- Michael Faber (IC Jewish chaplain)—helped residents celebrate
Rosh Hashanah
- Linda Heyne (Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Services)—supervised
a Fieldwork II student, who worked with Longview’s recreation
director to learn the administrative responsibilities associated with
running the program
- Marilyn Kane (Department of Occupational Therapy)—demonstrated
relaxation and stress reduction techniques
- Judy Kennison (Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure
Services)—worked with Longview staff on resident recreation needs;
also supervised a Fieldwork I student, who planned and led recreation
activities at the facility
- Jeanne Lawless (Department of Health Promotion and Human Movement)—gave
a presentation on the preparation of nutritious snacks
- Janice Levy (Department of Cinema and Photography)—organized
a field trip for apple picking, photography, and film developing
- Jerry Mirskin (Writing Program)—led students and residents
in writing about making the transition to a new home
- Christine Pogorzala (Department of Health Services Administration)—built
a class tour and short-term volunteer projects into her “Introduction
to Gerontology” syllabus
- Nancy Ramage (Department of Art History)—presented a slide
show on the ancient Romans
- Joel Savishinsky (Department of Anthropology)—took his “Aging
and Culture” class on a tour of the facility
- Ron Simpson (Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Services)—assigned
a group project in his “Design and Operation of Areas and Facilities”
class, in which students worked to design an outdoor recreation area
- John Stephens (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology)—conducted
a hearing aid clinic
- Fahri Unsal (Department of Business Administration)—worked with Longview staff on a marketing survey
Gerontology Institute Advisory Council Reorganized
The Gerontology Institute advisory council has been reconfigured to meet our new needs as an academic planning unit. The council is made up of Ithaca College faculty, staff, and one student. Our new council members are:
- Elyse Adelstein ’00
- Kathy Beissner - Associate Professor/Chair, Department of Physical
Therapy
- Mary DePalma - Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
- Paul Hamill - Director, Academic Funding and Sponsored Programs, Office
of Development
- John A. Krout - Director, Gerontology Institute
- Janice Levy - Associate Professor/Chair, Department of Cinema and
Photography
- Pamela Mayberry - Assistant Director, Gerontology Institute
- Susanne Morgan - Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
- Pat Phelps - Administrative Assistant, School of Music
- Robert Riter - Assistant Professor, Department of Health Services
Administration
- William Scoones - Special Assistant to the Provost, Office of the
Provost
- Greg Woodward - Associate Professor/Chair of Graduate Programs, School
of Music
- Raquib Zaman - Professor, Department of Business Administration
Intergenerational Choir Is Back
The Ithaca College/Longview Intergenerational Choir has been revived under the leadership of the Phi Mu Alpha fraternity. Associate professor Verna Brummett is the music fraternity’s faculty advisor. The choir had not met for the past year due to founder Nancy Tittlebaugh-Riley’s departure from the Ithaca area. Rehearsals have now begun under the able direction of Samuel D. Guberman ’99, with about 20 students and up to 50 residents participating every Tuesday evening at Longview.
Distinguished Speakers
The Ithaca College Gerontology Institute’s Distinguished Speaker Series will continue this spring.
MARCH 16, 2000 William F. Benson, former director of the Administration on Aging in Washington, D.C., will discuss federal aging policy.
APRIL 12, 2000 University of Minnesota professor Jean K. Quam, Ph.D., will present “Old and Gay: What Will the Future Bring?”
Both lectures will be held in Emerson Suites, Phillips Hall, at 7:30 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public; a reception will follow each presentation. Please call (607) 274-1965 for more information.
Pathways to Life Quality Update
Pathways staff members have been busy! Fifty new student interviewers— half from Ithaca College and half from Cornell University—received training in September. The students are pursuing degrees in a variety of disciplines, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, sociology, history, management, environmental design, and human development. Fall interviews have focused on three retirement communities: Longview, Kendal at Ithaca, and McGraw House. To date, more than 300 interviews have been completed. Recently students began interviewing older community residents. Interviews of prospective residents prior to their move to a new assisted-living facility in Tompkins County are also underway. The data gathered will provide information about residents, both before and after relocation, in three very different retirement communities: a continuing-care retirement community, a general retirement community, and an assisted-living facility.
Carol Knight, a Pathways faculty collaborator and occupational therapy professor at Ithaca College, gave a presentation at an area retirement facility on modifying space within a small apartment so that hobbies and other interests can be continued. Graduate students in Knight’s class will be available to consult with residents new to our study about modifying their apartment space.
For more information about the Pathways to Life Quality project, please call (607) 274-1645.
IC Faculty Present FLGEC Workshops
Ithaca College faculty members offered workshops for professionals in several rural communities as part of the Institute’s Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center (FLGEC) activities. The following workshops, cosponsored by organizations in each community, were offered during the fall 1999 semester:
Canandaigua, New York
Enhancing Autonomy and Safety in the Home Environment
Cosponsor: Ontario County Office for the Aging
Presenters: Katherine Beissner, Department of Physical Therapy
Carol Knight, Department of Occupational Therapy
Bath, New York
Aging, Illness, and the Quality of Life
Cosponsor: Steuben County Office for the Aging
Presenters: Janice Elich Monroe, Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Services
Robert Riter, Department of Health Services Administration
Auburn, New York
Reducing Stress through Communication
Cosponsor: Cayuga County Office for the Aging
Presenters: Ellen Bonaguro, Department of Speech Communication
Susan Durnford, Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Cortland, New York Safety in the Home Environment
Cosponsor: Cortland County Area Agency on Aging
Presenter: Marilyn Kane, Department of Occupational Therapy
Owego, New York
Hearing Loss and Older Adults
Cosponsor: Tioga Opportunities Department of Aging Services
Presenter: John Stephens, Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog
Spring 2000 Workshops
Our workshop series continues this spring. Unless otherwise indicated, all workshops are held in the north meeting room of Egbert Hall from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Advance registration is required; cost per workshop is $15. Call (607) 274-1965 for program content or 274-3143 to register.
February 7
Home or an Assisted-Living Environment? Tools to Help Decide
Katherine Beissner, Ph.D., PT, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Carol Knight, M.Ed., OTR/L, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Ithaca College
Decisions regarding placement of elders in assisted-living environments are often made based on a hunch or following a traumatic incident such as a fall. This workshop will introduce participants to evaluation tools that can enhance this decision-making process. The tools assess an elder’s functional performance and cognitive ability. Strategies for improving home safety will also be discussed.
February 14
Biological Aging: The Good and the “Not-So-Bad”
Richard H. Machemer Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York
How does aging affect human function? And is disease a normal consequence of aging? This workshop will explore aging as a three-part process. The normal age-related changes that occur within each organ system will be described. In addition, several common age-associated diseases will be used as examples of how normal biological aging can be affected by disease and lead to significant functional changes within the individual.
February 28
Communication Strategies, Assistive Technology, and the Older Adult *
Elizabeth Begley, M.A., CCC-SLP, Clinical Instructor
Susan Durnford, M.S., CCC-SLP, Clinical Instructor
Department of Speech-Language Pathology_and Audiology, Ithaca College
This hands-on workshop will focus on enhancing the communication skills and opportunities of older adults through the use of alternative strategies and technology (i.e., multisensory input, eye-gaze systems, word prediction software, and voice-output communication devices). Participants will be able to explore some of the newest communication technologies as well as design some simple communication overlays (e.g., for shopping, cooking, self-care).
*This workshop will meet in Smiddy Hall, room 203, to allow participants to learn about the latest technological equipment available at IC. Registration is limited to the first 20 applications received.
April 10
Transforming the Culture of Nursing Homes
Rose Marie Fagan, Lifespan of Greater Rochester; Director, Nursing Home Culture Change Project; Executive Director, National Nursing Home Pioneer Movement
Rev. Garth E. Browkow, President/CEO, Fairport (New York) Baptist Homes
This workshop will describe how residents and staff live and work in long-term care facilities and the pioneering approaches to changes in this culture that are gaining momentum across the nation. Participants will learn why cultural transformation is needed, how to identify the main elements of a transformed culture, and what the key factors are in bringing about this transformation.
April 17
The Dynamics of Interdisciplinary Teamwork
Gloria Heinemann, Ph.D., Director, Primary Care Education Program and Interprofessional Team Training and Development Program, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, New York
From business and industry to academia, health care, and service delivery, more and more of today’s work is accomplished in teams. This workshop will focus on strategies for successful collaboration among persons. from different professions or disciplines. Using a combination of lectures and group exercises, participants will build teams and accomplish tasks as teams. Topics will include a definition of a well-functioning interdisciplinary team, a rationale for using a team approach, when to use a team approach, and the importance of cohesion, communication, cooperation, consensus decision making, and self-monitoring/evaluation among team members.
Certificate in Gerontology
The Ithaca College gerontology certificate program is designed to provide health and social service professionals, as well as other interested individuals, with specialized knowledge of the aging process that will help them to better understand and serve older adults. The certificate program is multidisciplinary and includes a wide variety of courses to provide students with up-to-date knowledge of the needs of older persons. For more information, please call (607) 274-1965.
Calendar of Events
- February 7: Home or an Assisted-Living Environment? Tools to Help
Decide
- February 14: Biological Aging: The Good and the “Not-So-Bad”
- February 18: State Society on Aging of New York Student Conference
- February 28: Communication Strategies, Assistive Technology, and
the Older Adult
- March 16: Federal Aging Policy
- April 10: Transforming the Culture of Nursing Homes
- April 12: Old and Gay: What Will the Future Bring?
- April 17: The Dynamics of Interdisciplinary Teamwork
- May 19: Women Aging Wisely: Innovations in Health Promotion, Disease_
Prevention, and Treatment
- (ICGI Annual Conference)