ASA - American Society on Aging

2000 Awards Programs
Recognizing Excellence in the Field of Aging

Award Winners

2000 ASA STUDENT RESEARCH AWARDS

Doris Toby Axelrod, PhD

Brookline, MA

The ASA Student Research Award is presented to graduate students for exceptional research relevant to aging and applicable to practice.

This year's award goes to Doris Toby Axelrod for her study "The Contributions of Individuals 85 and over to Family, Friends and Neighbors." The purpose of this study was to broaden our understanding of individuals ages 85-plus, not only as recipients of care but also as contributors to the community. In extensive telephone interviews, 457 respondents gave information regarding 18 instrumental and expressive contributory activities they provided to family, friends and neighbors. Dr. Axelrod presents their patterns of contribution, as well as the demographic, situational and health predictors of contributory levels. She points to areas for intervention and for further research.

Doris Toby Axelrod was a mathematics educator and computer analyst before receiving her master's in social work from Simmons College in 1974. For the next 17 years she was coordinator for clinical research at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., and from 1985 to 1997 was an adjunct associate professor of research at Simmons. She received her doctorate in social welfare policy from the Heller School at Brandeis in May 1999, where her dissertation focused on the contributions of individuals ages 85 and older. She has conducted workshops on telephone and mail surveys involving the 85-plus cohort and has presented five times at the annual meetings of GSA, ASA and the National Conference of Social Work Researchers. She is currently president of the board of West Suburban Elder Services in Massachusetts while continuing to consult and write.

Honorable Mention

Suzanne Fitzsimmons

Binghamton, NY

An Honorable Mention is awarded to Suzanne Fitzsimmons for her study, "Wheelchair Biking: An Intervention for the Treatment of Depression in Long-Term Care Residents."

This study examined the use of a prescribed therapeutic recreation-nursing intervention, wheelchair biking, for the treatment of the symptoms of depression in older adults in a long-term care setting. Using a classical experimental design, 40 residents, with a variety of mental and physical conditions, were pre-tested for depression and randomly assigned to two groups. After a two-week trial of biking therapy for the treatment group, findings indicated there was a statistically significant improvement in depression scores.

Ms. Fitzsimmons is a registered nurse, certified in geriatrics, who is especially interested in quality-of-life research for older adults with dementia, depression and delirium. She is currently studying at the Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University, to be a geriatric nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist. She expects to complete her master's degree in nursing, with a specialization in geriatrics, in May 2000.