Mission: The Center was founded and endowed in 1995. Its mission is to foster scholarly activities contributing to the prevention or delaying of losses in the qualities of living that may accompany chronic diseases and aging. The Center seeks to open and advance the field of studies of qualities of life in health and aging, through its own research, training, and clinical model development, and through collaborative work with colleagues.

Programs and Projects: Early prevention of functional decline: Center studies show that subjective and objective markers of inefficiency precede failure in the performance of daily tasks. These markers may signal opportunities for preventive intervention. An assessment of these markers has been applied in a geriatric evaluation service using a technique designed by the Center, the CLIN-CARE. A supplementary technique has been constructed to guide an understanding of a patient's strengths and preferences as well as their problems in health. A computer-assisted system generates real time profiles for care planning, and stores data for longitudinal clinical and research purposes. In collaboration with Dr. Mathew Maurer, Director of the Columbia Cooperative Aging Program, and Dr. Thomas White, Department of Informatics].

Quality of life in Alzheimer's disease: In association with Alzheimer's disease International, views on quality of life in dementia have been gathered from caregivers and persons with dementia around the world in a series of interactive workshops: with over 400 participants in the regions of North America, New Zealand and Australia, Southern Europe, the Caribbean, and the Far East; with Turkey planned for October 2005. An international, multilingual web site has been launched with classification of topics and subtopics that allows expansion of the information by new participants. [In collaboration with Dr. Nori Graham, Past President of ADI, and Dr. Sube Banerjee of the Institute of Psychiatry in London].

Interaction of genes and the environment A twin study of male military veterans in their eighth decade was completed based on data from 2,721 male twin pairs: 1,384 who are identical and 1,337 not identical. Analyses showed that the great majority of impaired function among elders is attributable to non-inherited illness, accident, life style and aging effects. New data has been gathered at a follow-up study to determine the heritability of active life expectancy and successful aging. [In collaboration with Dr. William Page of the Medical Follow-up Program of the Institute of Medicine and Dr. Brenda Plassman of Duke University].

The Stroud Center Laboratory on Culture Fair Assessment: Dr. Jeanne Teresi, pursues research at the forefront of developing and evaluating culture-fair assessment methodologies for qualities of life, with a concentration on affective suffering, cognitive decline, and functioning in daily living. Dr. Teresi is also Co-Director of the Resource Center for Minority Aging Research. This program supports minority investigators and research related to ethnically diverse groups. {In collaboration with Dr. Rafael Lantigua in the Division of General Medicine].

Resource Center on Evidence-based Practices in Nursing homes and Adult Care facilities: Dr. Jeanne Teresi is centrally involved in a resource center that has been established for developing and disseminating evidence-based best practices guidelines in nursing homes and adult care facilities. This concerns a population of several million individuals with chronic health and mental disorders. [In collaboration with Drs. Suzanne Broderick, New York State Department of Health and Molly Ferguson, New York State Office of Mental Health].

Roles and Health Needs of Xhosa Elders in South Africa: A preliminary study has been completed and a substantive phase is beginning focusing on the way health and social agencies can intervene to maintain the ability of elders to serve their community. In the large impoverished urban townships, elders are called upon to fill the gap left by adults who are afflicted by AIDS and other illness, unemployment or long working hours. Khayelitsha in Cape Town is the site of the study. The aims include the testing of culture fair methods for assessing quality of life. [In collaboration with Drs. Monica Ferreira, Katherine Broderick and Mandisa Mfuya of the Albertina and Walter Sisul Institute of Ageing in Africa; and Sinfree Makoni of Pennsylvania State University].

The role of regulation and leadership in quality of life in Nursing Homes. Dr. Ethel Mitty has completed a pilot study on methods for a London-New York cross-national study of the management quality of life for residents in Nursing Homes. Preliminary site visits by teams from New York and London have been conducted. The hypothesis is that managers have a crucial role in buffering regulatory pressures and encouraging quality of life interventions. Of key interest is the degree of openness to choices and choosing activities of residents. [In collaboration with Mnsgr Charles Fahey of Milbank Memorial Fund, and Drs. Alastair Macdonald and Kate Briggs, Kings College Hospital, London University].

Post-Professional Education of Health Care Professionals: This multi-project program, directed by Dr. John Toner, provides interdisciplinary education focused on issues, treatments, and service delivery models in geriatrics for a broad range of health care professionals. There are several components:

The Statewide Geriatric Psychiatry Residency and Research Fellowship: A two year training program accredited by the ACGME and based at Psychiatric Centers in upstate New York, with rotation sites in New York City. The first year is focused on the practice of geriatric psychiatry; a second year features research on topics related to chronically mentally ill elders in under-served populations. [In collaboration with Binghamton and Middletown Psychiatric Centers in upstate New York].

The Geriatric Scholar Certificate Program: The Columbia-New York Geriatric Education Center, collaboration with New York University and the Center for Healthy Aging in Upstate New York, provides certificates in post-professional training in interdisciplinary Geriatrics and Gerontology. A repeated 40-hour program is offered over five days. [In collaboration with Dr. Terry Fulmer and New York University].

The Quentin N. Burdick Program for Rural Interdisciplinary Training: This three-year program, which is supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration, is developing a national model for interdisciplinary rural training for health care professionals. [In collaboration with co-applicants, New York University Division of Nursing and Utica College of Syracuse University].

The Geriatric Mental Health Program on Disaster Preparedness and Bioterrorism: This program is developing and disseminating a national curriculum that focuses on the mental health consequences of disasters. The target audience of the curriculum is health care professionals and allied health care providers. [In collaboration with NYU and Mt. Sinai Medical Center].