• Helping Elders with Dementia to Age in Place
• CDC-Funded Study Takes off in Eastern Washington
• CPG News
• CPG Advisory Board Update
• Director's Doings

This exciting collaboration includes the IoA, faculty from the UW School of Nursing, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and researchers from Intel’s Proactive Health Unit..  The group will conduct qualitative research with elders and their family members who are coping with the challenges of early to moderate stage dementia. 

Researchers will interview elders and their family members or significant others during in-home visits.  They will assess environmental barriers that may preclude aging in place.  The research team will then analyze the types of problems faced by families who would like to help the older person remain at home for as long as possible.  These analyses will lead to the development of technology to improve the quality of life for older adults with dementia.  To learn more about an ongoing project between Intel and the UW, headed up by Professor Henry Kautz in Computer Science and Engineering, go here (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Intel Corporation introduced the world's first microprocessor in 1971. Today, Intel supplies the computing and communications industries with chips, boards, systems, and software building blocks that are the "ingredients" of computers, servers and networking and communications products.  They are interested in how technology can enhance people’s lives, especially with the aging of America’s population.

If you would like to learn more about this exciting new research opportunity for your family or others you know with dementia, please contact the IoA at 206-543-8727.

 CDC-Funded Study Takes off in Eastern Washington
The first round of classes for elders and children participating in the community-based study of intergenerational oral health promotion was completed in December.  Seniors in Mabton, a small community southeast of Yakima, first learned about new ways of caring for their mouths and about nutrition to improve their oral health.  After these classes, participants then taught these skills to 4^th grade children at Artz Fox Elementary School in Mabton.  The next group of seniors and children will be recruited in Yakima.  The goal of this intergenerational study is to train elders as oral health educators of children, and to test their effectiveness in teaching children these new skills.  It is funded by a grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information about the study, contact the IoA at 206-543-8727 or geron@u.washington.edu.

CPG News
        **“Elder Guardianships: As a volunteer, As a Business”  was the theme for the CPG networking meeting on Oct. 19, 2002 on the UW campus.  Speakers included: the Honorable Robert C. Bibb, founder and Director of the Guardianship Monitoring Program (GMP) in Snohomish County; Janet Smith, JD, Geriatric Care Manager and owner, Elder Care Solutions, Inc., and CPG graduate; Joan Bowers, EdD, Nurse Educator, and CPG graduate; and Eileen Peterson, Volunteer Coordinator, Guardianship Monitoring Program in Snohomish County. 

  Judge Bibb and Janet Smith led a panel discussion on the legal issues involved in guardianship; Dr. Bowers addressed how gerontological training assists volunteers and Ms. Peterson discussed what skills and educational background are useful for potential volunteers.  To learn more about the GMP, call 425-388-3284 or email guard.monitor@co.snohomish.wa.us.

**We would like to congratulate the seven students who completed the CPG in 2002: Susan Keim, Shirley Mohr, Roberta Crawford, Laura Martin, Linda Rogers, Debra Nakase and Lawrence Johnson.  Students currently enrolled live in the four corners of the United States, including, Florida, New York, Alaska, California, as well as Canada and Japan. 

  The CPG is now offered completely via distance learning.  This format enables students to work independently wherever they live..  The distance learning format allows students to take high-quality courses from UW faculty at times and places that fit their busy lifestyles, without having to travel to class on a regular basis.

CPG Advisory Board Update
We are delighted to welcome five new members to the CPG Advisory Board:  Tom Fairchild, Director of Special Projects, University of N. Texas Health Science Center; Pam Piering, Director, Seattle-King County Aging and Disability Services; Jim Rydingsword, Director, Oregon Cascades West Senior Services; Brendan Williams, Executive Director, Washington Health Care Association and Mary Tellis-Nayak, President/CEO, American College of Health Care Administrators.  We would like to thank our retiring CPG Advisory Board members: Gail Bouvet, Karrie Decker, Brian Dudgeon, Robert Howell, Sharon McIntyre, John Piacitelli, Gerald Reilly, and Maureen Valentine.   

In the upcoming online issues of Info-Age we will highlight new board members and their contributions to the practice of gerontology.  In this issue we would like to feature Mary Tellis-Nayak. 

Mary is President and CEO of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA).  ACHCA is a leading professional association for long-term care administrators.  In her role, she carries the message of this organization to long-term care forums and works towards achieving excellence in education and professional development for the members.  

Ms. Tellis-Nayak obtained her RN degree, specializing in gerontological nursing. She later received a master’s degree in nursing from Rush University in Chicago. Subsequently she obtained a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of IL at Chicago School of Public Health.   

Mary assumed her role as president of ACHCA in April 2001.  From 1996-2001, she served as Vice President of Clinical Services for Beverly Healthcare (BH) in Arkansas.  There she developed and oversaw research and educational relationships with several major universities including Vanderbilt, UCLA and George Washington.  For a decade before joining BH, Mary held senior positions with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.   

Mary is a highly respected advocate of professional education.  To that end she has encouraged ACHCA members to enroll in the CPG.  She has also spearheaded a campaign to publicize the CPG in several industry publications, long-term care/aging conferences, and on the ACHCA website.   

Director's Doings
Dr. Asuman Kiyak, Director of the UW Institute on Aging, has been honored as the UCLA Distinguished Professor for 2003.  The UCLA Academic Geriatric Resource Center (AGRC) grants the award.  AGRC is an interdisciplinary consortium representing the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, Department of Social Welfare, and the College of Letters and Sciences.  She will present a series of lectures at UCLA this spring as part of this honor.

Dr. Kiyak presented “The Role of Family in Long-term Care: Who is the Client?” at the Annual Winter Marketplace of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) in Las Vegas in early December.  She discussed the role of family members in the older person’s relocation decision and adaptation to a LTC facility; and how staff members can assist families as they cope with LTC placement of their elders.