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Penn State Worthington Scranton receives grant By Deborah Brandt Johnson
Dr. Janet Ann Melnick (right), instructor in human development and family studies at Penn State Worthington Scranton, works with student research assistant Margo Cookson to review survey data for a research project examining adult day services in Pennsylvania. Photo by Penn State Worthington Scranton	Penn State Worthington Scranton was awarded nearly $50,000 in funding from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania to examine adult day services within the state’s rural regions. The one-year research study is a cooperative venture involving Penn State and two other northeastern Pennsylvania colleges: Keystone College and Marywood University.   “While adult day care is often a part of the continuum of care for the elderly in urban areas, it is all too often lacking in rural communities,” Dr. Janet Ann Melnick, Penn State Worthington Scranton instructor in human development and family studies, said. She is the principal researcher for the project. “We are encouraged and excited about the generous support we received from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, as it demonstrates tangible interest in the care and well-being of elderly individuals throughout the state.”   The project includes the distribution of surveys, interviewing and compilation of extensive data in 42 rural Pennsylvania counties. Student research assistants from Penn State Worthington Scranton and Marywood University have been recruited and trained to assist in acquiring information from providers of senior services.   “I am really excited to be working on this project,” Margo Cookson, Penn State Worthington Scranton research assistant and human development and family studies major, said. “I have always had a great interest in elder care, and it is important to me that these individuals have all of the resources needed for a fulfilling life. I truly believe that this project is a big step in the right direction.”   Upon completion of the telephone interviews with adult day services center directors, the researchers will construct estimates of potential adult day services participants in each rural county, as well as make projections of eligible participants over the next five years, according to Dr. Heather A. Shanks-McElroy, coordinator of the human services program and assistant professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Keystone College.   The researchers will then take a close look at adult day care options currently provided to rural Pennsylvania elders and their families, document the need for adult day care services and identify any gaps that may exist in delivery of these services, which may include things like transportation and specific funding issues. They will review and explore their findings in focus group interviews in Stroudsburg, Harrisburg, Williamsport, Uniontown and Sharon in the fall.   “In preparing the research proposal, we became aware of several state-of-the-art adult day services programs operating in rural areas across the United States,” Dr. Doris Chechotka-McQuade, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Marywood University, said. “We will be visiting some of these sites to look at what makes them successful and identify common elements which can be replicated in Pennsylvania.”   They will submit their report and policy recommendations to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, with the goal of improving the state’s adult day services network through legislation and implementation of effective programs for elders.