In January 2020, Jessica Shotwell gave her first lesson at the Athens Community Council on Aging. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about disruption and uncertainty, and Shotwell’s work became even more important. A fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the College of Public Health, Shotwell describes herself as a people-person with a passion for …
America’s oldest citizens say they’ve been through worse, but many older adults are feeling the stress of COVID-19 and prolonged social distancing measures, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. And most are using a wider range of communication tools to stay in touch. Study author Kerstin Emerson, a clinical associate professor …
Kim Wolf had plans to visit her grandma at a nursing home in Maryland. Then, the global pandemic hit. While COVID-19 has ground much of the world to a stop, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has hit group home settings particularly hard, especially those with frail or infirmed residents. With her trip up …
Approximately 6 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ARD) or mild cognitive impairment, and that number is forecasted to reach 15 million by 2060. In Georgia where the prevalence of Alzheimer’s is high, it’s estimated that 80% of adults who have reported experiencing some type of cognitive loss aren’t …
As COVID-19 continues to spread among communities throughout the U.S., public health and government officials are urging people to stay home and limit interactions with others, a practice known as social distancing. Social distancing is critical for slowing the spread of coronavirus and making sure that more vulnerable groups of people, such as older adults …
Lisa Renzi-Hammond, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health, conducts research that seeks to change how our society understands and supports people living with age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Where did you earn degrees and what are your current responsibilities at UGA? I am a proud Triple Dawg. I earned my B.S. in psychology with …
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 …