Research

Our population is aging. The number of U.S. adults age 65 and older is projected to increase from 54 million in 2020 to 95 million by 2060, when nearly 1 in 4 Americans will be 65 or older. That's why our work is so important. Researchers in the Division of Geriatrics are uncovering new and exciting ways to keep people healthy as they age. 
We work with older adults in the areas of:

• Advance care planning
  
• Alzheimer’s disease and dementia models of care
  
• Effects of exercise on metabolism, cardiovascular, bone and brain health
  
• Effects of age-related hormonal changes on metabolism, cardiovascular, bone and brain health
  
• Palliative care for older adults with serious illness
  
• Shared decision making
  
• Stakeholder engagement

Health Services

Health services research studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and ultimately, our health and well-being. Health services research provides data, evidence, and tools to make health care affordable, safe, effective, equitable, accessible, and patient-centered.

Our researchers in health services look at advance care planning and decision-making to benefit older adults. Through the Program of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care, researchers are collaborating with community members, patients, families, and facilities to bring more research into nursing homes.

IMAGE Group

A big part of how well we age is attributed to our lifestyles—not an inevitable consequence of the aging process. However, by age 75, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 women don’t get ANY physical activity. The Investigations in Metabolism, Aging, Gender and Exercise (IMAGE) Research Group examines how interventions such as exercise impact chronic health. Learn about current IMAGE studies and eligibility.