Guest Speaker Seminar
(hosted by SPARC and LiD)

Date: 10 March 2010
Time: 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Topic: Family Perceptions of Mild Cognitive Impairment: Individual Changes and Relationship Challenges

Guest Speaker: Prof. Karen Roberto, Professor and Director of the Center for Gerontology and the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia

** Location: Room M17, Museum Building, Trinity College Dublin (please note change of location )
To find M17, go up the stairs in the front hall of the Museum building, take the right branch of the stairs and turn left at the top (view map of college)

Outline: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) reflects changes in memory and executive functioning that may not markedly interfere with a person’s work or social relations. Many physicians view MCI as a transitional phase between normal cognitive aging and dementia, although data regarding the actual rate of crossover are inconclusive. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the issues and challenges families face when an older member is diagnosed with MCI. Findings are based on a mixed-method, three-year longitudinal study of 120 persons with MCI and two of their family members and a companion daily-diary study of spouse care partners. Approaches and challenges of conducting family-level research with diverse aging populations as well as implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

Biographical Information for Prof Roberto
Karen Roberto is Professor and Director of the Center for Gerontology and the Institute for Society, Culture & Environment at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. Her research examines the intersection of health and social support in later life. Her primary interests include older women's adaptation to chronic health conditions, family relationships and caregiving, and elder abuse and mistreatment. She is the author of over 100 scholarly articles and 30 book chapters and the editor or author of 8 books, including Community Resources for Older Adults: Resources and Services in an Era of Change (3nd ed; with R. Wacker, 2008) and Pathways of Human Development: Explorations of Change (with J. Mancini, 2009). Dr. Roberto is the current past-chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences section of the Gerontological Society of America. She is a fellow of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Council on Family Relations, and the World Demographic Association. Dr. Roberto is a recipient of the Gordon Streib Academic Gerontologist Award from the Southern Gerontological Society and the Virginia Tech University Alumni Award for Excellence in Research.

To book a place, please e-mail Colette at ageing.research@tcd.ie or phone 01-8962914