What’s Hot in Aging Research
I recently had the opportunity to attend a conference at the Andrus Gerontology Center on “What’s Hot in Aging Research.” Some of this won’t be new to you, but I learned that demographic trends are such that, although the rate of Alzheimer’s cases is not changing, the number of people who are expected to have Alzheimer’s disease is exploding. That’s because the boomers are coming of geriatric age now! And, as you know, because of the work Dr. Laura Gitlin and her colleagues have been doing in establishing the efficacy of occupational therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers, we are shovel ready to meet this societal need. Also, as the boomers become older, I learned from Dr. Margaret Gatz, Professor of Psychology at USC, that we may have some new challenges. For example, we have to think about whether boomers as they age will: 1) be prone to substance abuse; 2) show less resilience than older people in past cohorts; and 3) be more impaired because of the vascular risk factors associated with being overweight or having diabetes. We also have to wonder whether, as a profession, we will be able to meet the anticipated growing need for services. I think these issues and trends call out to us to develop the critical mass of well-qualified practitioners required. How about getting prepared!