Gerontology Research

The Center on Aging strives to promote and conduct applied research on issues of aging with particular emphasis on the social, economic, psychological and environmental factors that may improve the quality of life for older adults.

The following are specific research emphases of the faculty and staff in the Center on Aging. If you are interested in an area of research not listed below, we may be able to help connect you with gerontology faculty who are in other departments/colleges on campus.

Long-term Care and the PEAK 2.0 project

A longstanding strength at the Center on Aging is our focus on quality care and quality of life for residents in long-term care settings. We emphasize resident-centered research, as evidenced by our PEAK project where we implement and evaluate a statewide program to improve resident-centered care for nursing home residents in Kansas. We have several ongoing projects related to resident-centered care, and we specialize in qualitative analysis. To contact us about student participation or potential research collaboration, please email Jacy Hughes.

Residents' Goals, Preference and Priorites Guidebook Pilot Study

One of the top 10 citations on nursing home surveys is F-tag: F656 – Comprehensive Care Plans. That suggests that many nursing homes lack the bandwidth or resources to address residents’ full set of goals, preferences, and priorities (or GPPs). But, it doesn’t need to be hard to meet GPPs. The Moving Forward Coalition's guide offers accessible, easy-to-use strategies and steps to talk to residents about what matters to them and realize them in every-day care. The KSU Center on Aging is piloting the guide with a small number of nursing homes. For questions about this project, contact Addie VanZutphen or Laci Cornelison.

Student Research Resources

For more information about student research opportunities, visit the College of Health and Human Sciences student research resources page.