CEO Blog

The National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA), which meets three times annually, will convene again on Wednesday, May 12. Members of the scientific community and public are invited to join the open portion of the meeting, which will take place via live videocast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The agenda is available to view online.

The events of the past year have put into perspective just how important careers in aging are. As the world has wrestled with the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers, clinicians, educators, direct care workers, and service providers supporting older adults have played an outsized role. And the demand for professionals with expertise in aging is growing rapidly. As members of the field, it’s up to us to make sure this realization isn’t lost as we move forward.

The entire GSA community is invited to join us as we celebrate Careers in Aging Week 2021, taking place from April 18 to 24. The activities will be conducted online and there are many ways to get involved.

The Alzheimer’s Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a 17-page action brief on dementia caregiving titled “Promoting Caregiving Across the Full Community: The Role for Public Health Strategists.”

This resource offers an overview of the challenges of caregiving for people living with dementia, then provides state, local, and tribal public health leaders with a framework and resources for action. I encourage you to explore this new action brief.

A new aging-related documentary titled “Fast Forward” has just made its debut on PBS, and a number of GSA members are featured as they provide expert commentary! It’s now streaming on the PBS video app; check your local PBS resources to find out when you can find it airing or on demand.

The gerontological research community should be proud of the way it has responded to the need for study of the COVID-19 pandemic. The work of many scholars has resulted in dozens of articles on the topic appearing in GSA’s journals, and this has resulted in several important new themed collections and special issues.

The February and March issues of The Gerontologist are special issues made up of invited papers under the theme of “Gerontology in a Time of Pandemic.” (Following the call for papers, the editorial team received 132 submissions from 25 different countries!)