The Elderly Care Research Center (ECRC) is a
multidisciplinary, social research organization
affiliated with the Department of Sociology at Case
Western Reserve University. The Center was
established in 1967 by its Director, Dr. Eva Kahana,
who is the Robson Professor of Sociology, Humanities, Nursing and Medicine in the Department of Sociology at CWRU.
Research related to aging, health, and mental health
is conducted by Center staff and associates. Funding
for these projects is usually obtained from federal
agencies such as the National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH) and the National Institutes on Aging
(NIA). Senior research scientists and faculty from
other universities regularly participate in research
projects conducted at the Center.
In addition to
its research activities, the Center serves as a
teaching facility, training graduate and
postdoctoral students from diverse social science
disciplines in the theory and methods of social
gerontological research. Students are given an
opportunity to obtain “Hands on” experience in
conducting research and to translate formal
coursework into practical applications within a
research setting. Center Staff also serve in an
advisory capacity to various educational programs
and community agencies serving the elderly.
Primary activities of the Center include theory
based research on diverse topics relevant to
adaptation and well-being of the elderly. A
programmatic thrust at the Center has been the focus
on health and mental health outcomes of stress,
coping and adaptation.
Research has focused on predictors of wellness as
well as of vulnerability. Study samples have ranged
from the frail and institutionalized aged to
adventurous older adults undertaking long distance
moves. Cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons
and focus on ethnic differences also represent a
unique aspect of our orientation to research. In
recognition of the diverse environmental and social
influences on well-being of the elderly, research
has been interdisciplinary in nature, bringing to
bear qualitative as well as quantitative methods of
sociology, psychology and other social science
disciplines on the issues under study. In addition
to publishing results of research in professional
journals and presenting them to the scientific
community, ECRC is committed to broad dissemination
of research in a readily understood format to
community organizations, professionals and to
elderly participants in diverse studies. Effective
intervention programs have been developed and
implemented based on findings of some research
projects.
The Elderly Care Research Center is affiliated
with the Center on Aging and Health at CWRU. ECRC
trainees may enroll in the Gerontology Certificate
program offered at CWRU through the Center. ECRC has
co-sponsored exhibits with the Center at the
Gerontological Society of America meetings and
Research Day presentations at CWRU. Our staff also
actively cooperates with the Western Reserve
Geriatric Education Center, which offers continuing
education programs to practitioners and health care
professionals. In addition, there are research
seminars, which offer opportunities for informal
exchanges on research progress, methodological
challenges and developments.
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