Gerontology News and Research

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Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

GSA publishes three new scientific articles on COVID-19 and older adults

The Gerontological Society of America's highly cited, peer-reviewed journals are continuing to publish scientific articles on COVID-19.

14 Dec 2020

Adolescent competitive sport participation linked to better fitness at midlife in women

Females who participate in competitive sport during adolescence have better fitness at midlife than do females with no competitive sport background in adolescence, reveals a study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä.

7 Dec 2020

MU researcher identifies resources to assist overburdened family caregivers

After Jo-Ana Chase heard her mother had successful heart surgery, she was relieved when her mom was finally discharged from the hospital and sent home to be cared for by her brother.

1 Dec 2020

FAU receives $675,000 grant to improve social engagement in older population

Vibrant social relationships are a critical component of healthy aging. Strong relationships provide emotional support and well-being, promote brain health, and can even slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

1 Dec 2020

Study focuses on link between financial exploitation and frailty in older adults

Scams and fraud exact a heavy toll on older adults, with estimates of yearly losses ranging from $3 billion to $36 billion in the U.S. alone.

19 Nov 2020

UCF researcher assesses the impact of aging-in-community programs for older adults

The number of Americans age 65 and older continues to increase as the baby boom generation ages and people are living longer. At the same time, many seniors plan to "age in place," or continue living in their current homes, despite needing more assistance as they get older.

17 Nov 2020

Behavioral responses to COVID-19 differ by age, study shows

A new study from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology shows that the behavioral responses to COVID-19 differed by age.

11 Nov 2020

Three-nation project to examine link between epigenetics and social factors

A new three-nation project will examine how social, economic, psychological, environmental and behavioral circumstances in childhood influence gene expression and affect health and aging later in life.

10 Nov 2020

Grant programs will provide $2.2 million to support biomedical research on healthy aging

The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and the American Federation for Aging Research announce the 2020 recipients of three grant programs: the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty, the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships in Aging Research, and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Breakthroughs in Gerontology Awards.

28 Oct 2020

AFAR receives renewal award from NIA to pursue research into the biology of aging

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), has received a renewal award for up to $2 million over five years from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to continue its role as the Nathan Shock Centers for Excellence in the Biology of Aging Coordinating Center (NSCs).

23 Oct 2020

Greater social engagement related to better microstructural integrity of the brain in older adults

Older people who report greater levels of social engagement have more robust gray matter in regions of the brain relevant in dementia, according to new research led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

19 Oct 2020

Even light physical activity can significantly boost health, shows study

More than 5 million people around the world die from causes associated with a lack of physical activity. Two research teams at UC San Diego School of Medicine sought to understand sedentary lifestyles, with one study finding that even light physical activity, including just standing, can benefit health, and the other that Americans are still sitting too much.

13 Oct 2020

People’s trust in media is associated with COVID-19 prevention behaviors

Whether someone wears a mask, practices physical distancing or performs other behaviors to prevent COVID-19 infection may be linked to what media outlets they trust.

9 Oct 2020

Older adults use cannabis for medical purposes, study finds

With growing interest in its potential health benefits and new legislation favoring legalization in more states, cannabis use is becoming more common among older adults.

7 Oct 2020

NIH awards $13.8 million to conduct studies on pre-dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Joe Verghese, M.B.B.S., M.S., , an international leader in aging and cognition research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, has received two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $13.8 million to conduct studies on pre-dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

5 Oct 2020

Research shows the validity, reliability of isokinetic strength testing of older adults with COPD and stroke

The use of isokinetic dynamometers with older adults extends far beyond orthopedics, but the reliability and responsiveness of isokinetic measures in conditions like COPD and stroke are still being evaluated, report experts in Isokinetics and Exercise Science.

30 Sep 2020

Personality traits are associated with cognitive resilience in older adults

Our aging brains collect tangles and sticky plaques that can interfere in our cognition and memory. But some older adults with this neuropathology have more cognitive resilience than others, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

25 Sep 2020

Social inequities in Black and South Asian immigrants increase risk of severe COVID-19 infection

Black, South Asian and Aboriginal populations from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in Canada are nearly four times more likely to have three or more medical conditions that have been identified as risk factors for severe illness from COVID-19.

25 Sep 2020

Functional ability of older people has improved in the last three decades

The functional ability of older people is nowadays better when it is compared to that of people at the same age three decades ago.

21 Sep 2020

NIA awards $4.6 million to establish USC-Buck Nathan Shock Center

The University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have received a five year, $4.6 million National Institute on Aging award to jointly establish a Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging.

18 Sep 2020