The UC Davis faculty has a broad expertise regarding aging and the elderly. If you need information on a topic not listed, please contact Susanne Rockwell at the UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu, or Janet Dolan at UC Davis Health System Medical Science Public Affairs, (916) 734-9048, janet.dolan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Health issues

• What happens to the mind
• Successful aging
• Aging and physical function
• Illness and the elderly
• Who's at risk for osteoporosis?
• Hard drinkers age differently
• A kinder, gentler death

Psychological and economic issues

• Social insecurity
• Aging gracefully
• Long-term love
• Age and creativity
• Religion and self-transcendence
• Asian American mental health
• Midlife crisis and beyond in literature

The science of aging

• Biology and aging
• New look at longevity

HEALTH ISSUES

What happens to the mind

Beth A. Ober, professor of human development, studies what happens to the human mind with aging. Her research has focused on memory and language processes in normal and abnormal aging. She can talk about the differences between brain changes associated with normal aging vs. those associated with, for example, Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease. Ober's research has been funded over the past 15 years by the Department of Veteran's Affairs and the National Institute on Aging. Contacts: Beth Ober, Human and Community Development, (530)752-6934, baober@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

Successful aging

"There are four components to living a long life -- genetics, luck, grit and good choices in lifestyle and health care," says geriatrician Michael McCloud, medical director of the geriatric clinic at UC Davis Medical Center. "We lose 30,000 to 40,000 older persons in this country annually to complications of influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia, both largely preventable through immunization." McCloud can discuss other rules for successful aging in additional to guidelines for choosing the right health-care provider. He is a frequent lecturer on aging issues, and he serves on the board of directors of the Alzheimer's Association of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Contact: Janet Dolan, UCDMC Public Affairs, (916) 734-9048, janet.dolan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Aging and physical function

To what extent have we reduced deaths but not illnesses? UC Davis geriatrics expert Calvin Hirsh says, "It's not widely recognized that a huge amount of responsibility for remaining active lies with the individual. This 'compression of morbidity' is the responsibility of everyone." Hirsch, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, sees patients at the geriatric clinic at UC Davis Medical Center. His clinical interests include Alzheimer's disease, the diagnosis and management of dementia and the implications of normal aging. He is specifically interested in research that focuses on identifying the factors that help preserve or improve the physical functioning of the elderly. Contact: Janet Dolan, UCDMC Public Affairs, (916) 734-9048, janet.dolan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Illness and the elderly

When they are frail and sick, the elderly face big challenges in obtaining adequate care, says Diane Gilmer, lecturer in the Department of Human and Community Development. Problems range from inadequate care given in skilled-nursing homes to few health-care resources in rural areas, where the elderly often are in poorer health. A former nurse practitioner for the elderly, Gilmer studies and teaches about the physical aspects of aging, including chronic diseases and disabilities, as well as about care giving. Contacts: Diane Gilmer, Human Development, (530) 752-2700, dfgilmer@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

Who's at risk for osteoporosis?

Most people think this bone-thinning disease affects only women, but according to UC Davis endocrinologist Jason Wexler, a surprising number of men are also at risk. One in eight men over age 50 will develop an osteoporosis-related fracture. He says, "Although healthy men don't experience the rapid bone loss seen with women at menopause, by age 65 or 70, men and women lose bone mass at about the same rate." Wexler, clinical instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, sees patients in the osteoporosis clinic at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. He can discuss the incidence of osteoporosis among specific ethnic groups and how certain lifestyle habits may lead to disease. Contact: Janet Dolan, UCDMC Public Affairs, (916) 734-9048, janet.dolan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Hard drinkers age differently

Hard drinkers change their personalities as they age, says Michael "Rick" Levenson, associate research psychologist at UC Davis, who has followed 1,600 people over 16 years in a longitudinal aging study based in Boston. "We've found that in mid- to late life, chronic problem drinking is associated with personality disorders that we don't find among the non-drinkers and moderate drinkers," Levenson says. Levenson, who is also on the faculty of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, says it may not be true that people drink less as they get older. In the study he has seen an increase in alcohol use in very late life as people cope with sleeping disorders and chronic pain. Contacts: Michael "Rick" Levenson, Human and Community Development, 752-6568, mrlevenson@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

A kinder, gentler death

Fred Meyers, professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center, is a national expert in end-of-life issues. His goal is to train health-care professionals in improving end-of-life care and to initiate changes in the systems and organizations that provide this care. "Palliative care hasn't gotten a lot of attention from academic medical centers, although that's changing," he says. "If you provide care for patients throughout their lives, you must be prepared to care for them at the end of their lives." Meyers is working with a multidisciplinary health-care team to address this gap in patient care. A grant from the National Cancer Institute funded the West Coast Center for Palliative Education, which focuses on training practicing physicians, medical students, nurses, religious workers and others in the fundamentals of palliative care. Contact: Janet Dolan, UCDMC Public Affairs, (916) 734-9048, janet.dolan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES

Social insecurity

These days, baby boomers as well as their parents are wondering how long they can count on Social Security and Medicare. And they must consider the pros and cons of President Bush's plan for individual investing of Social Security in stocks and bonds. UC Davis economist Steven M. Sheffrin can talk about the politics and options of these issues for an aging American public. Sheffrin, also dean of the Division of Social Sciences, has written extensively on the topics. A former financial economist with the U.S. Treasury, a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow and a member of the board of the National Tax Association, Sheffrin is an expert on fiscal policy and politics. Contacts: Steven M. Sheffrin, Division of Social Sciences, (530) 754-8925, smsheffrin@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

Aging gracefully

Carolyn Aldwin, professor of human development, researches how physical health, emotional-coping behavior, spirituality and lifestyle affect aging. For the past 16 years she has been studying these aspects in two longitudinal studies of Americans. She can talk about how people's ability to emotionally weather hard times affects the aging process as well as how healthy habits (exercise, nutrition, no smoking) retards aging. Director of the Davis Longitudinal Study, Aldwin will publish a book on aging next year. Contacts: Carolyn Aldwin, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-2415, cmaldwin@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

Long-term love

The elderly in successful marriages have learned how to avoid contempt, anger and whining about their spouse, says UC Davis psychologist Phillip Shaver, who studies love and relationships. "In long-term marriages, people have many fewer strong negative emotions," he says. "They sidestep certain issues because they have agreed to disagree and still be affectionate." When an elderly person loses a long-term partner, the relationship isn't necessarily over, Shaver adds. "They reorganize the relationship in their mind to continue communicating with someone who isn't there," he says. Shaver is co-editor of the "Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research and Clinical Application." Contacts: Phillip Shaver, Psychology, (530) 754-8304, prshaver@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

Age and creativity

With the baby-boomer generation approaching middle age and beyond, many may wonder what level of creativity people can expect in the final decades of life. The idea that a large percentage of the American population is about to become "over the hill" with respect to the capacity for innovation and creative problem-solving is unjustified, according to Dean Keith Simonton, professor of psychology, who has devoted over a quarter century to studying the relation between age and creative achievement in the arts and sciences. Contacts: Dean Keith Simonton, Psychology, (530) 752-1677, dksimonton@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841 sgrockwell@ucdavis.

Religion and self-transcendence

The religious practices and experiences of people in later life can change them dramatically, says Michael "Rick" Levenson, an associate research psychologist at UC Davis who studies exceptional adult development, religion and aging. He says that some elderly achieve "gero-transcendence," similar to the transcendence achieved by Zen monks. For those elderly, materialism and other temporal matters become less important than a spiritual life. Levenson, also on the faculty of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, is currently studying the relationships among meditation, mental and physical health, quality of life and aging. Contacts: Michael "Rick" Levenson, Human and Community Development, 752-6568, mrlevenson@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841 sgrockwell@ucdavis.

Asian American mental health

Shame and the stigma about seeking help for mental problems may be one reason that elderly Asian women have the highest incidence of suicide in the nation among women over 65. Stanley Sue, professor of psychology, psychiatry and Asian American studies, says Asian Americans overall tend not to use mental-health services. To change that, Sue says what is needed are bilingual/bicultural therapists and service providers as well as better community education. He is former director and current principal investigator for the National Research Center on Asian American Mental Health at UC Davis -- one of only four minority mental-health centers nationwide. Contacts: Stanley Sue, Psychology, (530) 754-6173, ssue@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

Mid-life crisis and beyond in literature

English professor Karl Zender teaches and writes about how characters develop from middle age onward in works by Shakespeare, Faulkner and Dreiser, among others. "Shakespeare in 'King Lear' and 'Antony and Cleopatra' -- in fact, in all of his late tragedies and romances -- is concerned with how well people make the transition from seeming to be the center of the universe to accepting and supporting the next generation," Zender says. A Faulkner scholar, Zender wrote "The Crossing of the Ways: William Faulkner, the South and the Modern World" (1989). Contacts: Karl Zender, English, (530) 752-5469, kfzender@ucdavis.edu; Susanne Rockwell, News Service, (530) 752-9841, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu.

THE SCIENCE OF AGING

Biology and aging

In humans and other animals, aging is a rather predictable process but one that is not necessarily typified by deterioration, according to Roger McDonald, a UC Davis nutrition professor and an authority on the biology of aging. Lifestyle has a greater impact on the body than does the aging process, maintains McDonald. In an undergraduate course on the biology of aging, he discusses the aging process from conception to death and explains how various interventions, including diet and exercise, may modify the aging process. His research focuses primarily on the interactions between nutrition and aging. He specifically investigates the cellular mechanisms that cause changes in food intake and body weight with age. Contacts: Roger McDonald, Nutrition, (530) 752-4814, rbmcdonald@ucdavis.edu; Patricia Bailey, News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu.

New look at longevity

Why do some people die when they're 60, others when 80 and a few when 100 years old or more? And why do some animal species live just a few weeks while other species live for scores of years? These are the questions that intrigue and drive the research of James Carey, a UC Davis entomology professor. Carey, an authority on insect demography, has for the past decade studied issues related to life span and longevity, using the Mediterranean fruit fly as a research model. His studies, using more than 1.2 million Medflies, suggest that the life span of a species is not genetically predetermined, but may be extended by optimal environmental conditions. Carey is continuing his research on longevity as part of a National Institute on Aging research consortium that is studying upper limits of life span and patterns of mortality at advanced ages in human and non-human species. In addition to his UC Davis appointment, he is an adjunct faculty member in the Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging at UC Berkeley. Contacts: James Carey, Entomology, (530) 752-6517, jrcarey@ucdavis.edu; Patricia Bailey, News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu.