From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that older adults have an increased susceptibility to developing serious, even deadly complications from the virus.

To help address this vulnerability, the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences will host a virtual panel discussion, “Promoting the Resiliency of Older Adults During the Pandemic,” on Tuesday, June 2, from 11 a.m. to noon, EDT. The discussion will focus on how older adults can care for themselves and how communities can draw together to protect their most vulnerable members during the time of COVID-19.

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Laura Belmonte, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, will moderate, the panel. Participating in the panel will be several nationally recognized gerontology experts from the college’s Department of Human Development and Family Science and Center for Gerontology. These panelists include:

  • Rosemary Blieszner, PhD, Alumni Distinguished Professor in Human Development at Virginia Tech, is also a past president of the Gerontological Society of America, the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. Her areas of research interest include the impact of loneliness on older adults, spiritual resiliency and aging, mild cognitive impairment in older adults, and the impact on families of caring for older relatives. A senior fellow in the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology, she is also a past dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
  • Karen Roberto, PhD, a University Distinguished Professor in Human Development at Virginia Tech, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Gerontological Society of America. Her scholarship focuses on health and social support in late life, with particular interests in the health of older women, family caregiving, rural areas, and elder abuse and neglect. In addition to being a core faculty member in the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology, she is executive director of Virginia Tech’s Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment.
  • Laura Sands, PhD, a professor of human development and family science at Virginia Tech, is also editor-in-chief of Innovation in Aging, a journal of the Gerontological Society of America. Her research focuses on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care approaches for vulnerable older adults, including those with disabilities, those lacking sufficient health care, and those exposed to a disaster. Sands is a core faculty member in the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology.
  • Pamela Teaster, PhD, a professor of human development and family science at Virginia Tech, is also director of the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology. Her ongoing research focuses on the mistreatment of elders and vulnerable adults, including financial exploitation; public and private guardianship; end-of-life issues and decision-making; ethical treatment and human rights issues of vulnerable adults; and public affairs and policy.  

A link to the live video stream will be posted to this page during the event, and a recorded version will be available afterward. Advance registration to the event is not required yet highly encouraged. For more information, contact Christina Miler at 540-231-8364 or millercd@vt.edu.