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November 2025
The monthly newsletter from the Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing.
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“The more we address ageism in our society, the more we’re all going to live longer, healthier lives,” says Julie Ober Allen, PhD, MPH, an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Health Equity in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Kinesiology.
Allen studies how sources of chronic stress, including ageism and other forms of discrimination, affect people’s behavior, physiology, well-being, and health in later life. Her goal is to find effective ways to promote health and reduce health disparities among older people.
“Ageism is a broad, social and structural phenomenon,” says Allen, who spoke at the UW–Madison Institute on Aging’s Fall Colloquium. “How does it affect our bodies? How does it get under the skin?”
“It’s a source of stress. People are exposed to uncomfortable situations on a regular basis. That can generate fight or flight responses, as well as coping behaviors that may not be good for health.”
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Space is limited—don't miss out! Register today for CARE's free trainings for direct care workers and health educators in Green Bay.
CARE U Workshop - A full-day training designed for people who provide direct care to older adults, including CNAs, personal care workers, and family caregivers. Topics include person-centered care, mobility, nutrition, dementia, pain, vision, and emergency preparedness. In Green Bay on February 26, 2026.
CARE U Train-the-Trainer - A two-day training designed for those who provide health education or professional development to direct care workers supporting older adults. Participants receive the information and materials to lead workshops on seven topics key to older adult health. In Green Bay on February 25 and 26, 2026.
Use the links above to learn more and register. Contact Paula at pbizot@wisc.edu or 608-263-5268 with questions.
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Jingxi Li, MSN, RN, is a PhD student at the UW–Madison School of Nursing and a member of the CARE Advisory Committee. Her research centers on the social isolation, loneliness, and self-management of older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
"My work examines the disparities in health outcomes between rural and urban populations, providing valuable insights into how social and environmental factors influence well-being," says Li. "I am deeply committed to improving the health and self-management of older adults, particularly in underserved areas."
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- “As nurses, when we say, ‘exercise more, eat healthy,’ we want to know how that actually looks in real life,” says UW–Madison School of Nursing Assistant Professor and CARE Affiliate Wan-chin Kuo, PhD, RN.
“The essence that our lab tries to address is that if we can make an environment one where making healthy choices is the default setting, then they don’t need to deliberate how and where to exercise or what food to buy and where to buy it.”
- "Most Americans ages 65 and older feel positive about key aspects of their lives," according to a new national survey from the Pew Research Center.
"66% say they feel optimistic about their life all or most of the time. ... Still, they report facing challenges."
- “Nursing facility residents consistently experience poor oral health outcomes and limited access to dental services," states an issue brief from Justice in Aging.
Adding an oral health benefit to Medicare Part B would "reduce avoidable emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and complications related to poor oral health, improving the overall health outcomes for nursing facility residents."
- Considering "the 65+ population as a whole" is problematic, argues Harry Margolis at Boston College's Center for Retirement Research.
He encourages "dividing the cohort between those ages 65-84 and 85+ ... for two main reasons: the differing rates of care needs and the opposite demographic trends of the two groups."
- Nationwide, Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEP) "emphasize extending knowledge about care for elders—whose risks, symptoms, goals, and treatments often differ from those of younger patients—to a wide array of providers, especially in rural and underserved areas. They also educate patients themselves and family caregivers."
KFF Health News reports that federal funding for GWEP was recently cut and then restored.
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Please visit the "CARE Products" page of our website to read descriptions of and request free PDFs for the following resources:
- Dementia Friendly Hospital Toolkit
- Dementia Friendly Toolkit for classroom and community settings
- Engaging Older Adult Community Members as Advisors on Health Research Toolkit
- Geriatric Care Simulations Toolkit
- Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) Toolkit
- Implementing Change in Long-Term Care Toolkit
- Support for Older People: A Manual for Promoting Health
- Support for Older People with Intellectual Disability manuals (available in U.S. and Wisconsin versions) and manager's guide
To access Geri-Res, please follow the link below:
- Geri-Res online transition to practice program for long-term care nurses
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