Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Age-Friendly
Age-Friendly is a heavily interdisciplinary framework, with each profession adding their own lens. Here you will learn a bit about these perspectives through articles and from past students.
Age-Friendly Innovation Scholars
One of the challenges encountered in combatting ageism is that fewer and fewer young people are studying gerontology and many know very little about the aging process or careers in aging. Because of that, the Age-Friendly Innovation Center created the Age-Friendly Innovation Scholars program, which brings together Ohio State students from several disciplines to learn about aging and ageism.
Recent scholars have focused on the challenges older residents face with mobility and transportation. Students visit with advocacy organizations and service providers and attend city council sessions. The students regularly meet to discuss, from the perspective of their respective fields of study, what they learned.
Watch this video from our first Age-Friendly Scholars cohort of students:
Bringing generations together to find innovative solutions
Age-Friendly brought together students and older adults to find innovative solutions to real world challenges. Read the whole report here:
https://agefriendlycolumbus.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/20210728-Age-Friendly-Report.pdf
Ava Eisele
Ava Eisele is a graduate of The Ohio State University’s Masters of Social Work program. She focused on aging and older adults due to a passion for working with that population. She began her internship with Age-friendly Columbus and Franklin County the summer of 2018 and completed her MSW May 2019. Prior to her time with Age-Friendly, she completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio State in Social Work with a minor in aging. In addition to her undergraduate degree, she completed internships with Franklin County Senior Options and LeadingAge Ohio.
Ava now works at a long term care community in Columbus!
Learn more about her work by review the poster she created to capture her impact! (Click the image to enlarge)
Emily Long
Emily is a graduate of Ohio State University’s Master of City and Regional Planning program, interested in community development and neighborhood revitalization. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Management, Leadership and Policy from the Glenn College at OSU. Emily currently works at Planning NEXT, a Columbus based planning firm who worked on Age-Friendly’s Strategic Plan. Previously, Emily worked with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the City of Dublin, Smart Columbus, and through the Columbus Foundation at Huckleberry House.
Emily has been connected to AFCFC in various capacities since the start of the assessment work. Emily was our second Age-Friendly Student In Residence. Read her student blog to learn more about that experience. https://u.osu.edu/agefriendlycommunities/agefriendlystudentinresidence/student_blog/
Katy Cao
Qiuchang (Katy) Cao received her bachelor’s degree from the Department of Public Administration in Suzhou University, China. Clinical internships during her MSW program at the University of Wisconsin Madison inspired her to improve the mental health and psychological well-being of marginalized older adults. Katy worked as a graduate research assistant on Age-friendly Columbus and Franklin County and earned her Ph.D. Review her poster below, outlining the work she has done around the Villages Movement in the U.S.
Marie Rineveld
Marie L. Rineveld (she/her/hers) is a graduate from the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University. She graduated from Western Michigan University in 2004 and studied Organizational Communications and Psychology. Marie is passionate about improving the lives of our valuable, vibrant and active aging population and is proud to do so as Service Coordinator with Village in the Ville. She elevates student voices and concerns as an elected Delegate on the OSU Council of Graduate Students and was recently nominated to the Student Advisory Board Member for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ohio Chapter. Marie is a Certified Tourism Ambassador in Columbus, where she enjoys recommending experiences, restaurants, and parks for locals and tourists alike. She is also a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher at Harrison Farm in Groveport. Marie believes building personal connections is the essential foundation to aging well in community.
Learn about the experiences Marie had during her MSWI placement with Age-Friendly on her blog! https://u.osu.edu/rineveld.1/
Natalie Gillespie
Natalie completed her undergraduate field placement with Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County during the 2018-19 school year. She was also our first Age-Friendly Student in Residence. During her time with AFCFC, she completed her honor’s thesis. Learn more by reviewing her poster on the project!
Tara Mick
Tara was a Human Development and Family Science major who spent her summer with Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County exploring the aging network, research, and the profession of social work. Learn more at the article below highlighting that summer!
https://ehe.osu.edu/news/listing/what-students-learned-during-their-summer-vocation