The Gerontological Society of America. Learn about aging from leading experts. Hear from educators, clinicians, administrators, researchers, and students who share their experiences, expertise, and innovations in aging.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Laura Wagner, a nurse and researcher from University of California, San Francisco, about two papers from the special issue of The Gerontologist, Workforce Special Issue on the Workforce, which was published in June 2021:
1. Medical Staffing Organization and Quality of Care Outcomes in Post-acute Care Settings by L. M. Wagner, P. Katz, J. Karuza, C. Kwong, L. Sharp, and J. Spetz
2. It Is Time to Resolve the Direct Care Workforce Crisis in Long-Term Care by K. Scales
For an overview of the special issue, check out the editorial by Drs. Degenholtz and Meeks:
Workforce Issues in Long-Term Care: Is There Hope for a Better Way Forward?
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Dr. Degenholtz interviewed Dr. Emily Franzosa at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center about her paper on the emotional labor of home health aides. Her paper, “Who’s Caring for Us?”: Understanding and Addressing the Effects of Emotional Labor on Home Health Aides’ Well-being, published in the December 2019 issue of The Gerontologist, reports on focus groups conducted with groups of aides, finding that being close and having trusting relationships with clients were important to aides’ emotional well-being. The conversation highlighted the importance of recognizing emotional labor and the limitations of the current system that do not reward or even explicitly acknowledge the psychological toll that caring can have on paid caregivers. Dr. Degenholtz talked to his mother about the people who have cared for their relatives, including his uncle and his grandmother, and tried to parse out what motivates people above and beyond pay to do this challenging work.
Article (December 2019 Issue of The Gerontologist)
Disclaimer: This interview does not represent the views of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.