Center for Aging Research and Education, UW-Madison School of Nursing

"An Irish trial of a home-based frailty programme delivered through primary care targeted older adults living with mild frailty or less. The programme combined strengthening exercises, regular walking and dietary protein guidance. Frailty rates in the intervention group fell from 17.7% to 6.3% after three months, while they slightly increased in those receiving usual care."

Ageing with purpose: the surprising science of frailty reversal Two people of the same age can age very differently. Frailty helps explain why, and what can be done to reduce risk.

"Ageism within the health care system is an underappreciated determinant of low-quality care, poor health status, and higher mortality among older adults. Evidence-based interventions have been shown to improve the quality and appropriateness of care for older adults and enhance care outcomes. Some small-scale interventions also appear effective at reducing age bias and reducing negative stereotypes about older adults among health professionals and the public. But to substantially reduce the impact of ageism in health care delivery and on health outcomes for older adults, policy makers and private organizations must undertake more far-reaching reforms."

Confronting Ageism As A Driver Of Health Inequity | Health Affairs Brief Ageism in health care delivery operates at both the health system and individual provider levels, causing adverse health outcomes for older adults, as well as excess health spending.

Apply by July 19 for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute on Aging's Annual Colloquium poster session or new investigator awards!

The Poster Session features posters on various aging-related topics dealing with psychosocial, biomedical, and clinical/applied research. Posters are presented by faculty, research scientists, postdocs, and students.

New Investigator Awards are given to UW–Madison students or advanced trainees to recognize outstanding achievement in aging or life course studies. Winners receive a $500 award and their research is showcased in the event’s Poster Session.

Annual Colloquium Since 1988, the IOA has hosted an annual event known as the Institute on Aging Colloquium. It is free and open to the public, and now attracts a full-capacity crowd each year from the campus and community. Local researchers showcase cutting-edge science in diverse aspects of aging through talks and....

“'It’s all about ideology,' Eileen Guthrie of Lincoln County, Wisconsin, told me when I visited her hometown of Merrill last fall. Her local board had argued that they had to sell their county nursing home because it was in the red. But Eileen, a retired bookkeeper, did the math: Not only was Pinecrest breaking even, but it was also actually making money. Lincoln County sold it nonetheless.

"Other counties, however, have been able to protect their homes from pending sales, and the issue showed up at the ballot box. In successive local elections (2024 and 2026), supporting local, high-quality, affordable public nursing homes proved to be a winning issue with voters, and being on the wrong side of the issue proved costly to candidates."

"It turns out voters really, really care about their nursing homes" Saving local nursing homes is a winning issue with voters in rural Wisconsin

Community is part of the solution to elder abuse!

"Simple actions carry real weight: checking in regularly with an older neighbor or relative, talking openly about scams, helping someone verify a suspicious call or message, or sharing trusted local resources. Supporting family caregivers matters too — caregiver stress and burnout are known risk factors for neglect and abuse, and communities that show up for caregivers are ultimately protecting the people they care for."

Protecting Older Adults Is Everyone's Job | ACL Administration for Community Living Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Thanks to our friends with the Healthcare Workforce Training Institute for working with us to make the CARE U workshop more available for direct care staff in rural areas across Wisconsin!

We recently held a CARE U training session for several Dove Healthcare employees that provide direct care for older adults. Originally started by the Center for Aging Research and Education at the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the training covered topics of person-centered care, emergency preparedness and dementia. A big THANK YOU to the Health Resources and Services Administration, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (award U1Q53041) for providing funding to make this possible!

"Wisconsin is a national leader in efforts to strengthen direct care workforce training and career advancement. The state’s ongoing initiatives, including the [Certified Direct Care Professional] program and related resources and incentives, demonstrate exceptional commitment to creating comprehensive solutions," states a report from PHI.

The report notes, "Participants can earn a CARE U micro-credential through a workshop offered by the University of Wisconsin Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE). The day-long workshop, held in person across multiple sites, supplements and reinforces CDCP entry-level training with instruction and interactive activities on topics like aging and vision, and caring for people living with dementia."

Building Skills, Building Careers in Care: Wisconsin’s Direct Care Workforce Training, Employment, and Career Development Landscape More than 107,000 direct care workers in Wisconsin provide essential assistance to older adults and people with disabilities in home- and communitybased services (HCBS), residential care communities, nursing homes, and other settings. In response to persistent job quality challenges, the state has l...

Financial abuse impacts the older adults’ health, well-being, and families. How can healthcare professionals address the problem?

Read the May 2026 issue of CARE Connections, the monthly newsletter of the Center for Aging Research and Education. Here’s an excerpt:

Assisted living or nursing homes might notice “an unpaid bill or a resident thinking they had money to get their hair done, but their account is empty,” says Hansen.

This month’s CARE Connections also includes a profile of CARE Affiliate Abigail Bradfield; the Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) Toolkit; and news and events related to older adult health and well-being.

https://app.explore.wisc.edu/e/es?s=1427524768&e=2448251&elqTrackId=6bf940c8fcbe4d2896cdc087ece57e37&elq=e5dde84cb7044a7e8cd1b1e0a3205247&elqaid=83586&elqat=1&elqak=8AF59C829C68CC1D4673A99CB217B61B1A002420DD7E69B7A9AC9AE094AC08FF58C4

Are you looking for resources to improve the care that you or your students or your staff provide to older adults? CARE has you covered!

CARE has made our toolkits and manuals widely and freely available through our website. Simply visit the "CARE Products" page, read the descriptions, and use the online form to request something -- from our Geriatric Simulations Toolkit to our Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) Toolkit -- and more.



https://care.nursing.wisc.edu/products/

The Rural and Madison Boards of Older Adult Advisors (BOAAs) are now scheduling their summer and fall meetings!

Since 2022, the BOAAs have provided guidance to researchers across 13 UW-Madison departments, from Nursing to Food Science to Kinesiology to Engineering to Design Studies to Geriatrics and Gerontology.

Researcher comments about the BOAAs include:
- “The BOAAs pushed us to make necessary changes. … And they brought up things we hadn’t thought of.”
- “They helped me think about what does this really mean,what outcomes are valuable to older persons.”

BOAA member comments about research meetings include:
- “It is wonderful when we are included. It lets us know that someone cares about us and that our voice matters.”
- “You see the color of my skin. You see my gender. You see my age. And you think you know something. But that is disrespectful. You need to ask and listen."

To learn more about bringing your research questions to the BOAAs, contact Diane at [email protected] or 608-265-9542.

https://care.nursing.wisc.edu/board-of-older-adult-advisors/