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Biography
Sheryl Zimmerman is Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean, and Director of Aging Research, at the School of Social Work, and Co-Director of the Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Industry Expertise (2)
Elder Care
Health and Wellness
Areas of Expertise (9)
Aging
Aging and Elderly
Aging and Social Policy
Social Gerontology
Evaluation of Practice
Psychosocial Aspects of Health
Long-Term Care
Dementia
Hip Fractures
Accomplishments (5)
Outstanding Research Paper, Seniors Housing & Care Journal (professional)
2013
Fellow, American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (professional)
2012
Awardee, Academic Leadership Development Program, University of North Carolina (professional)
2006 - 2007
Fellow, Gerontological Society of America (professional)
2006
Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research Distinguished Investigator Award (professional)
2004
Education (2)
University of Illinois at Chicago: Ph.D., .
University of Illinois at Chicago: MSW, Social Work
Affiliations (9)
- National Association of Social Workers : Member
- Academy of Certified Social Workers : Member
- Gerontological Society of America : Member
- American Geriatrics Society : Member
- Society for Social Work and Research : Member
- Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network : Member
- Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work : Member
- Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work : Member
- Society for Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine (AMDA) : Member
Links (6)
- Researchers receive $3.4 million grant to study inappropriate and excessive use of antipsychotic medications
- Free toolkit can improve quality of life of older adults in assisted living through person-centered practices
- UNC study: Assisted living communities home to more older adults with dementia
- New website offers information about N.C. assisted living residences
- New study aims to improve mouth care reduce disease in older adults
- Zimmerman publishes special issues of Alzheimer's Care Today
Media Appearances (2)
Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work receive $3.4 million grant to study inappropriate and excessive use of antipsychotic medications
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill News online
2015-11-02
A first-ever National Survey of Residential Care Facilities recently found that as many as seven out of 10 adults in assisted living have some form of cognitive impairment, such as dementia, as well as other limitations that affect their ability to eat, dress, bath and take medications. Perhaps more troubling, almost 70 percent of these communities regularly dispense antipsychotic and other drugs to control residents’ behaviors, said UNC-Chapel Hill study principal investigator Sheryl Zimmerman, a Kenan Distinguished Professor in Carolina’s School of Social Work...
How anti-psychotic drugs may be overused in assisted living facilities
Carolina Connections radio
2015-11-07
Dr. Zimmerman was interviewed on the Carolina Connections radio program, discussing how anti-psychotic drugs may be overused in assisted living facilities.
Event Appearances (5)
Aligning Assisted Living Research with the Changing Landscape
Sixty-eighth Annual Scientific Meeting, The Gerontological Society of America Orlando, FL.
2015-11-01
The Spectrum of Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes
Sixty-eighth Annual Scientific Meeting, The Gerontological Society of America Orlando, FL.
2015-11-01
Health Services and Outcomes in Assisted Living: The Importance of Nurse Delegation Practices
Sixty-eighth Annual Scientific Meeting, The Gerontological Society of America Orlando, FL.
2015-11-01
Caregiver Confidence in Symptom Management
Sixty-eighth Annual Scientific Meeting, The Gerontological Society of America Orlando, FL.
2015-11-01
Reducing Antibiotic Over-Use in U.S. Nursing Homes
Tenth International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics – Asia/Oceania 2015 Conference Chaing Mai, Thailand
2015-10-01
Articles (5)
Dementia as a Risk Factor for Falls and Fall Injuries Among Nursing Home Residents
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
2003 OBJECTIVES: To compare rates of falling between nursing home residents with and without dementia and to examine dementia as an independent risk factor for falls and fall injuries.
The public health impact of Alzheimer's disease, 2000-2050: potential implication of treatment advances
Annual review of public health
2002 Recent developments in basic research suggest that therapeutic breakthroughs may occur in Alzheimer's disease treatment over the coming decades. To model the potential magnitude and nature of the effect of these advances, historical data from congestive heart failure and Parkinson's disease were used...
The prevalence of dementia in a statewide sample of new nursing home admissions aged 65 and older diagnosis by expert panel
The Gerontologist
2000 This study estimated the prevalence of dementia in 2,285 new admissions age 65+ to a statewide sample of 59 nursing homes in Maryland, 1992–1995. Dementia was ascertained according to DSM-III-R criteria by an expert panel of geriatric psychiatrists, ...
Delirium on Hospital Admission in Aged Hip Fracture Patients Prediction of Mortality and 2-Year Functional Outcomes
The Journal of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
2000 BACKGROUND: Hip fracture patients are at increased risk of confusion or delirium due to the trauma associated with the injury and the rapid progression to hospitalization and surgery, in addition to the pain and loss of function experienced. Hip fracture patients who develop ...
Excess mortality attributable to hip fracture in white women aged 70 years and older
Journal of Public Health
1997 OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the excess mortality attributable to hip fracture...
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