THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UF INSTITUTE ON AGING | SUMMER 2014 | WWW.AGING.UFL.EDU
We have hit the ground running in our new home within the Clinical and Translational Research Building. Since the beginning of 2014, we have already celebrated many achievements and will soon welcome more. May saw the first publication of the main findings of a study nearly 15 years in the making. The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders, or LIFE, Study assessed different kinds of lifestyle interventions aimed at preserving the ability to walk in older adults. The study proved that moderate physical activity helps keep older adults mobile and independent. Over the coming years, we will continue to unpack data from the study, looking at the study’s effect on the participants’ health and emotional well-being. Beginning in the spring and fall of 2015, we look forward to launching two new education programs in geriatric care and research. These programs will be offered online in order to expand the education programs in aging and geriatric practice both here in Gainesville and across the country. Our faculty and researchers are constantly looking for ways to improve the care of aging adults. Not only will these programs will help disseminate the good research happening within our institute, we will learn from our colleagues across many different disciplines who will teach these courses. As always, we’re excited about the future of our work and research in the Institute On Aging. Our hope and goal with our work is to help older adults age healthfully, with grace and independence. Sincerely,
Marco Pahor, M.D. Director, UF Institute on Aging
T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E U F I N S T I T U T E O N A G I N G | S U M M E R 2014 | W W W. A G I N G . U F L . E D U
A decade-long study, the first of its kind, aimed to prove whether moderate physical activity for older adults could help them walk better for longer. More than 1,600 men and women aged 70-89 were assessed at eight different field centers across the country. The results are conclusive: compared to a control group who attended health education classes but did not exercise, the group of older adults who exercised were able to maintain their ability to walk for a quarter mile, the equivalent of a trip around a neighborhood block. “The very purpose of the LIFE study was to provide definitive evidence that physical activity lifestyle intervention can truly improve the independence of older adults,” said Marco Pahor, M.D., director of the UF Institute on Aging. The exercising group was able to prevent the loss of mobility at a rate 18 percent higher than their non-exercising counterparts. While the rate of hospitalization in the exercising adults was slightly higher, though not statistically significant, the study, which was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association in May, proves that moderate exercise is key in keeping older adults mobile and independent. UF associate professor Todd Manini, Ph.D., was recently awarded NIH grant 1R01HL121023-01 to use LIFE study data. His study will focus on discovering genes that explain the different ways people’s heart and lungs respond to physical activity. Researchers from the Institute on Aging utilized the Health Promotion Center’s 200-foot indoor walking track for the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Study.
REGENERON (R1033-SRC-1239) STUDY Healthy aging depends in part on healthy muscles. But with age, skeletal muscle mass can decline, making independence difficult. UF researchers are testing an investigational medicine for the treatment of muscle loss in a study that focuses on body Todd Manini, Ph.D., associate professor
composition, muscle strength and stair climb power. Men and women age 60 and over in the Gainesville and Lake Nona areas who are generally healthy are encouraged to contact the Institute on Aging.
The division of career development and education in the department of aging and geriatric research and the faculty of the Institute on Aging is set to expand the field of geriatric care education. Spring 2015 will see the launch of a graduate certificate program in aging and geriatric practice. In the fall of 2015, the division will offer a concentration in aging and geriatric practice to students earning a master of science in medical sciences from the UF College of Medicine. Department and IOA faculty members offer these classes exclusively online, in order to the expand geriatric care education not only in the UF community but across the world. The department and IOA faculty also sponsored the Geriatric Care Boot Camp in February. Lauren Solberg, J.D., M.T.S., a UF bioethicist, developed the event. The boot camp educators featured two physicians, a nurse, a pharmacist and an ethicist, all of whom presented content focused on the care of patients over 65. Forty four health care professionals attended, from fields such as nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, medicine and dentistry. Solberg, who holds faculty appointments in the departments of aging and geriatric research, community health and family medicine as well as psychiatry, developed the Geriatric Care Boot Camp after seeing a need for education in various aspects of geriatric health care. Three more boot camps are planned for the coming year.
SPRING 2015 WILL SEE THE LAUNCH OF A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN AGING AND GERIATRIC PRACTICE.
Lauren Solberg, J.D., M.T.S., UF bioethicist
PAPAYA STUDY Though fruit provides lots of health benefits, including antioxidant effects, people generally don’t eat the daily minimum of five servings. UF researcher Stephen Anton, Ph.D., is investigating how a concentrated serving of a fermented fruit-based product impacts
inflammation in older adults. Non-smoking individuals in the Gainesville area aged 70 or older who carry a little extra weight, but are able to walk the equivalent of three blocks without the use of a cane or walker, can contact the Institute on Aging. Stephen Anton, Ph.D., chief of the clinical research division
For more information or to enroll, call 352-273-5919 or 866-286-7730. Ask about the “Papaya study” or the “R1033-SRC-1239” study.
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UF INSTITUTE ON AGING | SUMMER 2014 | WWW.AGING.UFL.EDU
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Why Every Dollar Counts Unlocking life’s mysteries — particularly the secrets of how long and how well we live — is the distinct focus of the University of Florida Institute on Aging. Our scientists and physicians are dedicated to achieving a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of aging and of how we can maintain or enhance our physical independence and cognitive abilities. Private philanthropy is essential to our work; your gift, regardless of size, can make the critical difference in funding new scientific endeavors. Imagine discoveries that fuel positive cellular changes or lead to new therapies to help rehabilitate aging bones and joints ... private philanthropy makes all this and much more possible.
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To learn more about how you can invest in a healthier and more independent tomorrow for us all, please contact Mary Ann Kiely at 352-273-9620 or mkiely@ufl.edu.