Conference to Explore Environment’s Role in Healthy Aging
NC State researchers, local agencies and community members will come together this week to discuss the critical role the environment plays in healthy aging.
Aging and the Environment, a mini-conference organized by NC State’s Department of Psychology and its Daily Well-Being in Adulthood Lab, will take place from 1-7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at NC State’s James B. Hunt Jr. Library.
“We are hoping to facilitate a conversation between researchers, practitioners and the public,” said Jennifer Bellingtier, a doctoral candidate in the program who is planning the conference along with psychology professor Shevaun Neupert. “Researchers have much to learn from those who work with older adults in their daily lives, as well as older adults themselves.
“Similarly, the research going on at NC State can help inform the work of those in the community, and improve the lives of aging adults.”
The conference will feature local and international researchers whose work includes research on environmental design; innovations in gerontology; and, in the case of Neupert and Bellingtier’s recent research, the effects of attitude on resilience in older adults.
Keynote speaker Hans-Werner Wahl, professor of psychological aging research at the University of Heidelberg’s Institute of Psychology in Germany, will kick off the event at 1 p.m. Wahl will discuss his recent work, “Aging Well and the Environment: Toward an Integrative Model and Research Agenda for the Future,” and also address the global nature of the issue. An NC State researcher panel is also scheduled for 2 p.m.
But the event is not only for researchers. Neupert and Bellingtier have partnered with more than a dozen community organizations that will contribute to the conversation. In addition to a panel discussion with organization representatives at 3:25 p.m., a reception from 5-7 p.m. will feature exhibits showcasing information and resources for healthy aging in the community.
For more information about Aging and the Environment, click here.
