UNG helps adults care for aging parents

January 10, 2024

UNG and Legacy Link serve as sponsors for the Hall County chapter of Adult Children of Aging Parents, a nonprofit started in 2012. At a recent meeting, student Raul Ceja speaks with Melissa Armstrong, Legacy Link CEO, and Dr. Pamela Elfenbein, director of UNG's Institute for Healthy Aging.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Institute for Healthy Aging, along with Legacy Link Inc., serves as a sponsor for the Hall County chapter of Adult Children of Aging Parents (ACAP), a nonprofit founded in Hickory, North Carolina, in 2012. UNG faculty, staff, students, and community members attend the group's monthly meetings, which cover a wide range of topics.

Under the combined leadership of Dr. Pamela Elfenbein, director of the UNG Institute for Healthy Aging; Candace Lovell, administrative support manager for the Institute for Healthy Aging; Melissa Armstrong, CEO of Legacy Link and a 2012 UNG alumna; and Elaine Harkins, Legacy Link aging and disability resource connection director, the chapter meets at Legacy Link, located at 4080 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood, Georgia.

"This is a wonderful service we are able to provide to the residents of Hall County who are caring for their aging parents," Elfenbein said. "An added benefit is that our students taking gerontology courses are able to learn about the field and network at these events."

UNG recently launched the nexus degree in applied gerontology. The nexus degree is a new academic credential and the first new degree program in the United States since the 1890s, when the associate degree was added. Nexus degrees aim to help meet workforce needs in high-demand career areas. The applied gerontology nexus degree requires 60 hours of coursework.

This is a wonderful service we are able to provide to the residents of Hall County who are caring for their aging parents. An added benefit is that our students taking gerontology courses are able to learn about the field and network at these events.

Dr. Pamela Elfenbein

UNG's Institute for Healthy Aging director

Due to retirement trends in the past 12 years, the 60-and-over population of Georgia's Appalachian region is growing at a rate faster than the state as a whole. These changes are having significant impacts on community services and needs, including health care, an adequate workforce supply, and changes in housing needs.

The nine credit hours of applied service-learning practicums of the nexus degree support UNG's partners while providing students the hands-on, direct application of their knowledge and tools.

Claudia Kemp, a junior from Macon, Georgia, pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in social sciences and health and human services, initially attended an ACAP meeting for class. She quickly realized the greater benefits of the monthly sessions.

"I wanted to meet people who have experience in gerontology and health and human services," Kemp said. "It sparked more of an interest in the field of gerontology for me, and it helped me be able to recognize anxiety in my grandma, as well."

Raul Ceja, a junior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in human services delivery and administration, also saw multiple benefits to the ACAP meetings.

"My mom is getting older. There's a lack of resources when it comes to aging Latino families," Ceja said. "I learned a lot of interesting facts, things I never really thought about. Gerontology is something I want to do."