Research Snapshots
These are research highlights taken from our newsletter, the Life Course Ledger. Sign up to receive the LCC's monthly newsletter by emailing [email protected].
Minnesota’s Assisted Living Report Card
Tetyana Shippee, Odichinma Akosionu, Tricia Skarphol, and Timothy Beebe
Concerns around assisted living (AL) quality in Minnesota prompted passage of new legislation in 2019 and provided funding for the development of an Assisted Living Report Card. LCC members Tetyana Shippee and Timothy Beebe and colleagues presented results from the first two phases of this project. The first phase involved a national literature review of quality measures and technical advisory panels to understand the types of domains and indicators for AL quality that are measured. Nine quality domains were identified. The second phase focused on state-wide stakeholder engagement to determine priority rankings for nine AL quality domains and indicators identified. Quality of life, staff quality and resident safety were the top three domains across all stakeholder groups. The state will implement surveys of AL resident quality of life and family satisfaction as mandated by the legislature, but findings indicate that other aspects of quality such as staff-related measures and resident safety, are also important to address.
Meeting the Social Needs of Older Adults in Rural Areas
Carrie Henning-Smith - Deputy Director, Rural Health Research Center
Social isolation is associated with health risks, and older adults in rural areas are especially at risk. Life Course Center member Carrie Henning-Smith looks at the unique risks faced by this demographic group. Barriers such as transportation, limited economic resources, less access to broadband internet and cellular connectivity, and restricted access to health care all play a role. Meeting interpersonal social needs is intertwined with providing other care needs. Health care professionals should collaborate with community partners to reduce isolation and loneliness. Read the full article on the JAMA Health Forum.
Shippee leads new study
The research led by Associate Professor Tetyana Shippee includes documenting trends in the services used or desired by clients and the factors related to how satisfied they are with their care.
Understanding the effects of COVID-19 through a life course lens
Phyllis Moen and Jeylan T. Mortimer
The Covid-19 pandemic is shaking fundamental assumptions about the human life course in societies around the world. In this essay, we draw on our collective expertise to illustrate how a life course perspective can make critical contributions to understanding the pandemic’s effects on individuals, families, and populations.
New research looks at the assets and unmet needs of diverse, older adults
The United States is rapidly diversifying and aging. Understanding the existing assets as well as the challenges and unmet needs of this demographic will become increasingly important to policy makers and service providers.
Injuries among older adults
LCC Member Julia Drew and her co-author, Dongjuan Xu, an assistant professor of nursing at Purdue University, study the distribution, trends, and consequences of injuries and falls for older adults to understand the consequences of aging for population health in the US. Injuries and falls are preventable, yet common, and can lead to severe consequences. They have two published papers on this subject and one under review. Read their work in Injury Prevention and The Gerontologist.
IPUMS International Receives NIA Grant
The IPUMS Internationalteam, led by LCC Members Lara Cleveland, Matt Sobek, and Steve Ruggles, has received a new $3.1 million grant from the National Institute of Aging (NIA) to expand the scope of the IPUMS database and create powerful new tools for analyzing population aging.
Kaspar Burger
Kaspar Burger is working with Jeylan Mortimer on research which he recently presented at a Life Course Demography, Aging, and Health Workshop under the title "Self-Esteem, Economic Self-Efficacy and Status Attainment: Evidence from a Panel Study of Three Generations." This work is part of a larger research project called "Micro-, Meso-, and Macro-Level Determinants of Educational Inequalities: An Interdisciplinary Approach."