Jenay Beer has been thinking about how people interact with robots since she was a kid. She grew up watching Star Wars, fascinated by the way R2D2 “beep-booped” his way through conversations with other characters, and The Jetsons, where Rosie wheeled about, frenetically managing the family’s futuristic home. Now, as an assistant professor and researcher at UGA’s Institute …
During the holidays, people suffer more, especially older adults No one likes to be lonely, especially around the holidays. But for most of us, once the decorations are packed away and life returns to the normal routine, the feeling passes. Yet, more and more people, particularly older adults, are grappling with loneliness year-round, and a growing …
Researcher Jenay Beer specializes in assistive technology. Her work aims to ‘put the human back in the engineering equation’ and help developers optimize new technology to match their users’ needs. As an IOG faculty member, she’s often asking how can this tech help older adults be healthier, happier and safe. Jenay recently talked with WUGA Health Desk …
With institutional roots dating back over 50 years, the Institute of Gerontology (IOG) at UGA’s College of Public Health (CPH) is at the forefront of aging research, and as the first baby boomers begin to retire and hit ‘old age,’ faculty at the IOG seek to reframe what it means to age. “We want to …
After more than a year of work, researchers at the UGA show that making simple dietary changes can make big differences. You really are what you eat, according to UGA researchers who studied UGA students and seniors from the community for a year. Professor Lisa Renzi-Hammond says both the students and adults over 60 who …
Housing and health are essential to overall well-being, a fact as true for animals as it is for people. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Georgia is proposing a unique solution to help older adults living alone at home establish new social bonds by pairing them with homeless foster cats. Funded by …
Lisa Renzi-Hammond, an assistant professor of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health, has been selected to join the first group of faculty developing entrepreneurial projects with the University of Georgia’s Innovation Corps Site. UGA was named a National Science Foundation I-Corps Site earlier this year. The I-Corps award enables the university …
Athens, Ga. – Research from the University of Georgia is the first to show that adding lutein and zeaxanthin, compounds found in dark leafy greens, to the diets of older men and women improves cognitive function in a randomized controlled trial. Lutein and zeaxanthin are part of the carotenoid family, the pigment compounds that give …
Chronic pain affects an estimated 100 million Americans, and that number is expected to grow as the U.S. population continues to age. Today, between 60 percent and 75 percent of older adults experience persistent pain. Living with constant pain can dramatically limit an individual’s ability to function normally and enjoy life, and a recent study …
Navigating the U.S. health care system can be frustrating for anyone, but for adults with chronic medical conditions, the frustration can become overwhelming as they juggle multiple providers, medications and treatments. But now, a study from the University of Georgia published online in January in Patient Education and Counseling provides insights into how health care …