Learn about the statistics and preventative measures surrounding suicide among older adults.
Older adults and suicide: How can mental health professionals increase prevention efforts?
Author: Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging
Using technology to increase independence & living life
Read this blog post about how older adults are using technology to bolster their independence.
Summary: 2023 Friedman Lecture & Awards features innovations in quality mental health care for older adults
Read a summary of the 2023 Friedman Lecture & Awards held this spring.
Older Americans Month: Aging Unbound
Written by Michele Dinman, MPH, project coordinator for the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health Happy Older Americans Month! For the past 60 years, the Administration for Community Living helps us celebrate and honor older Americans each May. This year’s theme, Aging Unbound, promotes the importance of enjoying independence […]
Social and Cognitive Stimulation for Individuals Living with Dementia: Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Could be the Answer
In this blog post, MSW student Marissa Scofield discusses how Cognitive Stimulation Therapy can provide a social outlet and improve quality of life for those living with dementia.
Older Adults as Community Health Workers: Using their skills & experiences to strengthen the health care workforce
Read about how more older adults today are interested in working past retirement.
Suicide prevention among older adults
Learn more about suicide prevention among older adults in this blogpost by one of the students attending the course, Contemporary Perspectives on Aging.
The aging prison population: A rapidly growing issue
Written by Renee Hays, MSW candidate, Brown School; student in Contemporary Perspectives on Aging The American prison population has been aging at a rapid pace throughout the twenty-first century. According to the National Institute of Corrections, between 1993 and 2013, the number of prisoners in America aged 55 and older sentenced to at least one […]
Internalized Ageism – Discriminating against ourselves as we age
Read a perspective from a member of the Friedman Center for Aging staff, regarding how we often discriminate against ourselves as we age.
2023 Friedman Lecture and Awards features innovations in quality mental health care for older adults
Don’t miss the 22nd Annual Friedman Lecture & Awards on April 21 for engaging keynote speakers and panelists to learn more about innovations in mental health care for older adults.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS! 2023 Friedman Awards for outstanding contributions in the field of aging
Award nominations are being accepted for the 22nd Annual Friedman Lecture & Awards taking place on April 21. Read more about the awards and how to nominate someone for their outstanding work in the field of aging!
Experiencing College in Later Life: “When I’m 64: Transforming Your Future”
A participant in the “When I’m 64…” course at WashU talks about her experience.
Center releases comprehensive background resource on ageism
The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging has published a background resource with everything we need to know about the topic of “ageism”, understanding it and how to confront it.
2022 Friedman Lecture & Awards Summary: Serious Illness Care -Advances and Opportunities
The 2022 Friedman Lecture & Awards featured keynote speaker, Patrick White and panelists presented an exciting review of the latest innovations in palliative care.
A Geroscientist’s perspective on Careers in Aging
Careers in Aging Week, April 17-23 is designed to bring awareness to the wide-ranging career opportunities in the field of aging. Read one geroscientist’s point of view here.
An aging professional’s perspective on Careers in Aging
Careers in Aging Week, April 17-23 is designed to bring awareness to the wide-ranging career opportunities in the field of aging. Read one professional’s point of view here.
A neuroscience scholar’s perspective on Careers in Aging
Commemorating Careers in Aging week (April 17-23), read a blog post authored by WashU professor, David Balota working in aging research.
A neuroscience PhD student’s perspective on careers in aging
Careers in Aging Week, April 17-23 is designed to bring awareness to the wide-ranging career opportunities in the field of aging. Read one student’s point of view here.
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day
In this blog post, Faculty Scholar and contributor to the Friedman Center for Aging, Brian Carpenter, asks some important questions about health care as we age.
Center offers additional tools, presentations and more on the often- overlooked topic of Ageism
The Friedman Center for Aging is releasing many new tools and presentations designed to help inform and inspire us all to educate ourselves and confront the often-overlooked issue of Ageism.
Age-inclusive language: Are you using it in your writing and everyday speech?
How we speak and write about aging matters. Learn more about what several national agencies say are best practices in eliminating age bias from written language.
Center launches series of tools and information around aging in our society
The Friedman Center has created a series of easy-to-read resources providing key information about aging.
Call for nominations! 2022 Friedman Lecture and Awards centers on innovations in the care of people with serious illness
The 21st Annual Friedman Lecture and Awards is just ahead, and this year, in addition to a panel of experts, the event features an exciting keynote by national expert on palliative medicine, and Chief Medical Officer for BJC Hospice, Patrick White, MD. The event, “Serious Illness Care: Advances and Opportunities” will also feature three awards […]
“Kids these days”: Why youth-directed ageism is an issue for everyone
Written by Morgan Van Vleck, MSW candidate (’22) and Masters Research Fellow in Aging at the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging As we become an increasingly aged society, it is important to understand how stereotypes and bias against both younger and older age groups functions and leads to fractures in intergenerational relationships. Ageism against […]
Ageism – the unnoticed -ism
Written by Michele Dinman, project coordinator for the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health “She looks so good for her age”…“I was having a senior moment”…“50 is the new 30”…“Old people go there”….“You don’t look 70”… “Millennials have an inflated sense of entitlement” …“She is too young to be […]
The endeavor towards healthy attitudes in aging
Paresa Chowdhury, a Summer Research Program participant, discusses the insight she gained on aging and ageism while working in the PATH Lab.
Return to normal
Mateo Blair, a Summer Research Program- Aging and Neurological Diseases Track participant, discusses her experiences in Dr. Susan Stark’s lab.
Remembering the people behind the disease
In this blogpost written by Sophia Tu, a Summer Research Program student in the Aging & Neurological Diseases Track, studies concerning dementia and Alzheimers are discussed.
Summer Research Program Experience 2.0
This blogpost written by Summer Research Program, Aging & Neurological Diseases Track student, Danielle Friz discusses various presentations on chronic diseases in aging adults.
When I’m 64: What will our future be?
The When I’m 64 course is back for Fall 2021 and helps students break down biases toward older adults and impact students’ vocational paths!
Purpose for life over a lifespan
This blog post by Summer Research Program student Aja Jones assesses the connection between healthy aging and a continuous development of an individual’s purpose for life.
An exciting experience
In this blogpost written by Summer Research Program student, Josie Wright, the COMPASS program and home modifications for stroke patients are discussed.
Multifaceted effects of an aging society on public health
The multidimensional affects of aging on our population is the topic of this blogpost by Summer Research Program student, Lindsey Debosik.
In Memoriam of Dorismae Hacker Friedman
October 28, 1920-May 30, 2021 Mrs. Dorismae Hacker Friedman passed away peacefully in her home, on May 30. In fall of 2007, WashU’s Center for Aging was renamed the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging in recognition of Harvey and Dorismae Friedman’s support of the center’s efforts to create an environment for fruitful cross-disciplinary research. […]
Celebrating “Older Americans Month”: WashU employees say they “never stop learning”
Find out about the career paths of several of WashU’s employees and where they go from here.
Friedman Center welcomes project coordinator
The Institute for Public Health & its Friedman Center for Aging welcome our new Project Coordinator, Michele Dinman.
Realizing the potential of longer life: The new “Longevity Economy” – 2021 Friedman Lecture & Awards summary
The 2021 Friedman Lecture & Awards event is summarized.
COVID-19: Age & Race Lead to Compounding Risk
Issues affecting older adults during the time of COVID-19 are the topic of this blogpost by guest author, Morgan Van Vleck, masters research fellow in aging.
The growing intergenerational nature of social media
Social media isn’t just for kids anymore. Older adults today are adeptly winding their way through the social sphere more than ever.
How Homesharing Provides Benefits During The Pandemic
Content provided by Odd Couples Housing The idea of homesharing has been around for years. Around the country, various formal and informal networks for finding tenants, short-term borders, or roommates have surfaced. Instead of finding roommates through word-of-mouth or college campus flyers, now there are structured options to support homesharing, including a few options in […]
Why older people are among the first to get the vaccine
By Nancy Morrow-Howell, MSW, PhD, the Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy, Brown School of Social Work and director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging On December 8, 2020, the first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine went into the arm of a 90-year-old woman, Margaret Keenan, with the second delivered to an 81-year-old […]
COVID-19 and Compounding Losses
by Barbara L. Finch, MLA, Alumna, Washington University in St. Louis The older adults I know are scared. In the independent living retirement community where I live, eight months of isolation because of Covid-19 is beginning to take its toll. While we are no longer “locked down” like we were during the first few months of […]
Emergency departments, older adults & coronavirus part two: What older adults need to know about their treatment in emergency departments
Written by Tanner Meyer, Masters Research Fellow in Aging, Class of ‘21, Friedman Center for Aging Embed from Getty Images Recap: At the start of our conversation with Barnes-Jewish Emergency Department Physician, Dr. Chris Carpenter, we asked how emergency departments are working to modify their methods of care to treat older adults. Dr. Carpenter, alongside […]
Emergency Departments, Older Adults & Coronavirus Part I: What are the Geriatric Emergency Department (GED) Guidelines?
Written by Tanner Meyer, Masters Research Fellow in Aging, Class of ‘21, Friedman Center for Aging As we have written about before, ageism continues to rear its ugly head during the Coronavirus pandemic. The media has depicted older adults, ranging from age 60 to 100, as a homogeneous, frail group, destined to contract the virus. […]
COVID-19 double jeopardy: The intersection of race and age
Written by Emma Swinford, Natalie Galucia and Nancy Morrow-Howell Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis The American Society on Aging recently released a statement, which begins, “Age offers no immunity to racism and violence.” In fact, age often magnifies the impact of structural inequalities like racism. […]
Won’t you be my neighbor? Inter-generational living in St. Louis
Written by Emma Swinford, MPH, MSW, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging Embed from Getty Images The Back Story My experience in the world of inter-generational living started when I began working as a research assistant with the Friedman Center for Aging in my second year of grad school. The Friedman Center’s work on inter-generational […]
Opinion: Ageism in COVID coverage shrouds full picture of older adult population
Written by Nancy Morrow-Howell, Natalie Galucia and Emma Swinford of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis News coverage of the pandemic addresses everyone in later life as one monolithic group – “the elderly” – vulnerable, lonely, living in retirement facilities. Of course, attention […]
COVID-19 & older adults: Time Management & self-care skills
Written by Kim Furlow, Institute for Public Health; Natalie Galucia, MSW; Nancy Morrow-Howell, MSW, PhD; and Emma Swinford, MPH, MSW, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging Embed from Getty Images Stay-at-home orders have meant that the routines of millions of people have been disrupted. To stay safe at home, many older adults have been disconnected […]
Careers in Aging Week 2020: Insights from the Friedman Center for Aging
April 19-25 marked 2020 Careers in Aging Week (CIAW). CIAW is hosted every year by the Gerontological Society of America to raise awareness about the diverse careers available in the field of aging. As people are living longer, populations are aging worldwide and the demands for professionals with expertise in aging grows, the Harvey A. […]
Preparing for a Career in Aging: Part I
Written by Natalie Galucia, MSW, Center Manager, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging & Meghan McDarby, M.A., Psychological & Brain Sciences Washington University has a variety of options available to students pursuing careers in aging. Across both the Danforth and School of Medicine Campuses, students are preparing for this field. To get a taste of […]