News
News
Study Updates
ORANJ BOWL data collection comes to an end.
Thank you for being part of this unique research panel. Since 2006, your willingness to share your personal experiences has enabled us to learn a great deal about the aging process and to understand how events such as Hurricane Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic affect older people.
We will no longer reach out to schedule interviews, but by no means is our work done. We are analyzing the abundant information we have collected and will continue to write articles that will find their way to professional journals. ORANJ BOWL panel will continue to help pave the way for future generations of people to age successfully.
Stay updated by continuing to check this website. If you have any questions or concerns regarding ORANJ BOWL, please contact us at 1-877-652-4464 or oranjbowl@rowan.edu. Dr. Rachel Pruchno, Principal Investigator, can be contacted at pruchnra@rowan.edu.
Thank you for believing in us and for participating in ORANJ BOWL.
ORANJ BOWL Wave 7: COVID-19 Exposure, Social Distancing, and Outcomes Study
Data collection is ongoing.
More than 2,400 participants have responded. If you have not completed the questionnaire, please contact us at 1-877-652-4464 or oranjbowl@rowan.edu. We continue reaching out to ORANJ BOWL participants to better understand how you have been managing:
- your exposure to the COVID-19 virus,
- your experience with social distancing, and
- how you are maintaining your health.
Click here to view preliminary results of Oranj Bowl Wave 7. Please contact us with any questions and/or concerns.
Thank you, and we hope that each of you and your families remain safe and healthy.
Have you read the most recent ORANJ BOWL E-Newsletter?
This Special Edition Newsletter is online for the first time. The online version allows us to publish the results in large print and in color. Click here to view the Oranj Bowl newsletter study updates. If you prefer to get the newsletter in grayscale via mail, please contact the study office at 1-877-652-4464 or oranjbowl@rowan.edu.
In ORANJ BOWL News...
VACCINES AT ROWAN!
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM) has been selected as a vaccine administration location. Individuals at high risk, those aged 65 and older and aged 16-64 with certain medical conditions, are now eligible to receive the vaccine. CLICK HERE for a detailed list of eligible recipients.
To register to receive the vaccine at RowanSOM location, click on this link (https://rowanmedicine.com/vaccine/ ). The center only schedules appointments one day ahead and the schedule fills up quickly, so register early (between 7:00 and 8:30 AM). Be sure to have your health insurance ID information and emergency contact information available.
For more information on vaccinations underway in New Jersey, CLICK HERE.
A full list of New Jersey vaccination sites for eligible recipients, CLICK HERE.
Article in Advance Media describes how the upcoming holiday season can be lonely for older NJ residents
November 23, 2020
Dr. Pruchno and Dr. Frank Ghinassi, president and CEO of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, offered suggestions on how to deal with the loss of holiday gatherings and not being with those we love. To read the full article click here.
What impact did the Great Recession and Hurricane Sandy have on older people? This newly published journal article gives some insight
November 10, 2020
The article, Trajectories of Depressive symptoms experienced by older people: Effects of time, Hurricane Sandy, and the Great Recession, was recently published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. In the article, six waves of data over 12 years were analyzed. In those 12 years, ORANJ BOWL participants experienced the Great Recession (2008 & 2009) as well as Hurricane Sandy. This article examined levels of depressive symptoms over time, while accounting for the effects of both natural and economic disasters on older people. Click HERE to read the article.
COVID-19 Exposure, Social Distancing, and Outcomes Study Update
November, 2020
November, 2020ORANJ BOWL’s 7th wave of data collection was launched on May 4th, 2020. Our research study team sent 3,533 questionnaires by mail and email. Our staff worked from home, while our participants faced each day with uncertainty. With the help of our dedicated participants, we have more than 2,400 responses. CLICK HERE for preliminary results and other details in our latest e-newsletter.
Data collection is ongoing. If you have not completed, please contact us at 1-877-652-4464 or oranjbowl@rowan.edu.
Thanks to all of our participants!
Journal article describes challenges experienced by older people during the initial months of COVID-19 pandemic
September, 2020
Dr. Pruchno and colleagues recently published the article, Challenges experienced by older people during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic in The Gerontologist. We learned that more than 70% of ORANJ BOWL participants follow physical distancing behaviors. As a result of the pandemic, ORANJ BOWL participants most freqently reported constraints on social interactions (42.4%) and restrictions on activty (30.9%) as their greatest challenges. Participants described other challenges including psychological well-being, physical health, financial, global environment, experiencing death, and changes in home care. Click HERE to read the article.
ORANJ BOWL at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting
November 13, 2019
Dr. Pruchno attended the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting in Austin, Texas. This year's theme was focused on harnessing strength and promoting resilience in an aging population. Health care professionals, researchers, policy makers, and adovicates in the field of aging gathered to build strategic partnerships to advance gerontological research, learning and practice.
ORANJ BOWL at the APHA Annual Meeting & Expo
November 6, 2019
Dr. Rachel Pruchno presented ORANJ BOWL findings at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia, PA. Nearly 13,000 public health professionals learned about the latest public health research. The theme of this year's meeting was "Creating the Healthiest Nation: For Science. For action. For health." Dr. Pruchno shared ORANJ BOWL research findings in a session on the impact of natural disasters on older people in our communities.
ORANJ BOWL Principal Investigator at Purdue University
November 1, 2019
Dr. Rachel Pruchno, ORANJ BOWL Principal Investigator, presented at the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University. The program entitled ORANJ BOWL: A Powerful & Innovative Resource for Studying Aging was attended by faculty, staff and students at the University.
Does exposure to natural disasters affect a person's functional abilities? A recent ORANJ BOWL article helps us understand the impact of exposure to such disaster
November, 2019
Dr. Pruchno and her research team used data collected from the ORANJ BOWL study to examine the ways in which diaster exposure experienced by older people during and after Hurricane Sandy affected functional limitations.
The article, titled "Type of Disaster Exposure Affects Functional Limitations of Older People Six Years Later", was recently published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
Is there a relationship between your neighborhood and physical activity? This new ORANJ BOWL article has some answers
September, 2019
Dr. Pruchno and the ORANJ BOWL research team collaborated with Dr. Zachary Christman, a human-environment geographer, to examine the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and the amount of time older adults spend walking for leisure and walking for purpose. Dr. Christman is an Assistant Professor of Geography, Planning and Sustainability at Rowan University with specialization in environment changes as it impacts human health and well-being.
The article titled, "The effects of built environment on walking for leisure and for purpose among older people" was published in the journal, The Gerontologist.
Dr. Pruchno, Featured Speaker, at the 23rd Annual Gerontology Recognition Ceremony at Virginia Tech University
April 25, 2019
Dr. Rachel Pruchno was the Feature Speaker at Virginia Tech University Center for Gerontology Annual Recognition Ceremony in Blacksburg, VA. Using ORANJ BOWL findings, Dr. Pruchno presented, "Successful Aging: A New Spin on an Old Topic."
ORANJ BOWL travels abroad to Amsterdam Netherlands
April 16, 2019
Principal Investigator Dr. Rachel Pruchno presented the Gerontology Seminar at the Vrije Universiteit Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dr. Pruchno highlighted research on successful aging including ORANJ BOWL analyses.
New peer-reviewed article on adult children living with aging parents
April, 2019
Dr. Pruchno and colleagues have a new peer-reviewed article titled, "Adult Children Living With Aging Parents: The Association Between Income and Parental Affect," published in the International Journal of Aging and Human Development.
In this paper, Dr. Pruchno and her colleagues examine the associations among parents' income, the relationships with adult children, and parents' depressive symptoms.
To read the article, please click here.
EDITORIAL: "Technology and Aging: An Evolving Partnership" by Dr. Pruchno
January 2019
Dr. Pruchno addresses the "digital divide" between aging adults and the general population in her article, "Technology and Aging: An Evolving Partnership," published in The Gerontologist. Key points include the need for supporting and providing access to new technologies for aging adults of all backgrounds, the potential benefits of assistive robots in ensuring well-being, and the future of remote activity monitoring (RAM) in aiding families providing care for loved ones with Alzheimer's or related dementias.
To read the article, please click here.
Update on National Institute on Aging Grant
December 2018
In 2014 the National Institute on Aging awarded a 5-year grant for $2.8 Million to Dr. Pruchno. The project “Effects of Hurricane Sandy on Functional Limitation Trajectories of Older People” enabled Pruchno’s team to understand the effects of a natural disaster on older people. Going forward, results from this project will assist in the development of interventions that will reduce disability, improve the quality of life, and reduce health care utilization and expenditures for the aging population.
New peer-reviewed article examining the connections between experiences with disaster and subsequent depression in older adults
November 2018
ORANJ BOWL researchers published "Long-term Effects of Disaster on Depressive Symptoms: Type of Exposure Matters" in the journal Social Science and Medicine. In this article the researchers examined the impact of various types of exposure from Hurricane Sandy on the victims' mental health in the years following the storm.
To read the article, click here.
New peer-reviewed article analyzing the connections between older adults' exposure to Hurricane Sandy and their subsequent utilization of health care services
October 2018
With her colleagues Dr. Pruchno studied the data resulting from Waves 3, 4, and 5 of ORANJ BOWL to determine how exposure to a natural disaster affects older adults' need to seek medical care in the years following the disaster. This article, titled "Older Adults' Health Care Utilization a Year After Experiencing Fear or Distress from Hurricane Sandy," was published in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.
To read the article, click here.
WATCH VIDEO - Hurricane Sandy: What happened to Older People
April 2018
Dr. Rachel Pruchno gave a keynote address at the 2018 Stockton University Research in Psychology Conference sponsored by the Stockton Center on Successful Aging.
To Watch the presentation, please click here.
Surrounded By Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness & Family Secrets
March 29, 2014
"What was the likelihood that my adopted daughter would have my father's hazel eyes and my mother's mental illness?"
In Dr. Pruchno's memoir, Surrounded By Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness & Family Secrets, she shares her experience dealing with mental illness in her family through her mother and her adopted daughter. The book has garnered positive reviews, and it is now available at online booksellers.
The book website: http://surroundedbymadness.net
Click here for the book trailer
Click here to order your copy from Amazon!