Professors and other UMass Boston gerontology thought leaders appear regularly in news media stories about seniors and issues important to them. Among recent articles:

Associate Professor Kathrin Boerner highlighted her research on centenarians and their adult children in a recent USA Today story prepared by Kaiser Health News. The story on boomerang seniors, aging adults who move to be near a parent, featured Boerner’s findings on the very old who are the fastest-growing segment of the population in most developed countries.

Gerontology Institute Director Len Fishman appeared in the Boston Globe discussing ways people can check on the well being of elders who live alone while respecting their privacy. Fishman told the Globe it was important to help connect faltering elders living alone with each other and with community programs.

Associate Professor Elizabeth Dugan spoke with the Globe this month for a story about the safety record of senior drivers. The story followed a high-profile accident involving a driver reported to be in his 70s. Dugan told Globe readers there is “not a great correlation between age and how well you drive.” She pointed out that people can be impaired by chronic illness but age is no predictor of when those illnesses occur.

Professor Marc Cohen appeared in Stat, the online health and medical news site, to discuss ways to support family caregivers helping relatives with Alzheimer’s disease. Stat focused on the increase in Alzheimer’s cases in North Dakota and efforts that state has made to help caregivers. That’s “exactly what is needed,” said Cohen.