Professor Su-I Hou will be at the Gerontological Society of America Conference in Austin, Texas on November 15 to discuss aging-in-community research.
A comparative case study examines current aging-in-community (AIC) models and program planning strategies designed to support healthy aging in older adults. Su-I Hou, professor of health management and informatics, will chair an AIC symposium she organized with a nationally recognized panel of scholars. She will present the results of the study, including implications on source of health information, programmatic preferences and technology adoptions.
Titled “Aging-in-Community Models and Programs – Program and Policy Planning Strategies,” Hou’s presentation and study examines planning strategies in senior life-long learning models, neighborhood lunch programs and the newest consumer-directed trend known as Villages. Joining the symposium to discuss components of the models analyzed in the study include Professor Carrie Graham from University of California, Director Allen Gilcksman from Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, Professor Anne P. Glass from University of North Carolina Wilmington and Professor Emily Greenfield from Rutgers University. Each will share insight and results from their aging-in-community research.
“It is critical for national and international gerontological scholars to come together to share our research because it provides opportunities to stimulate new ideas and insights while gathering feedback to discuss study implications as well as future directions,” said Hou. Her research focuses on healthy aging in community and older adult health promotion, as well as community and worksite strategies to promote early detection and prevention of selected cancers and HIV/AIDS. Most of her research involves working with community partners in developing and validating study instruments, assessing psycho-social factors of health behaviors, developing and implementing theory-based health programs, and evaluating the effectiveness of program interventions.
During the annual meeting, Hou will also present at two additional symposium sessions, one focused on preventive healthcare utilization among faith-based, first-generation Chinese organized by the Aging among Asians interest group, and another one on characteristics of Chinese adults on cancer screening communications with physicians organized by the Cancer and Aging interest group. To learn more about these sessions, view the Gerontological Society of America 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting program.