About the Institute for Healthy Aging

Purpose

The purpose of the Central California Institute for Healthy Aging (CCIHA) at California State University, Fresno is to focus university resources on addressing the unique problems facing older adults in Central California. The institute advocates for and supports an interdisciplinary approach to identify and address the quality of life, health, and related community issues that affect older adults.

Primary activities of the institute include infusing the curriculum across the campus with content relevant to key issues of gerontology through excellence in teaching, addressing critical health and human service issues in the region through faculty-based research and evaluation, and involvement of students and faculty in clinical training and related community service. The Central California Institute for Healthy Aging promotes public information, training, dialogue among consumers, providers, and change. The institute will continue to establish/promote agents through print media, online services, public forums, conferences, and most importantly regional partnerships that focus on improving the quality of life among older adults.

Our Activities

Research and Evaluation

Research is conducted in communities across the region as well as in college facilities such as the Gait, Balance and Mobility Center , the Speech Language and Hearing Clinic and the Human Performance Laboratory. Through the affiliation with the Central California Center for Health and Human Services, faculty are connected with regional, state, and federal sources to explore age-related policy and practice issues, engage in elders and their families in health promoting activities and lifelong learning opportunities.

Education and Training

The institute's education and training agenda is responsive to the needs of the region. Audiences for this component include: educators, health and human service agency leaders, older adult residents of the region, students across all disciplines, health care staff employees, faith-based leaders, as well as government and political leadership at the local, regional, state, and federal levels.

Curriculum Development

The academic departments and programs of the College of Health and Human Services are a very useful resource for the Central California Healthy Aging Institute. The departments and programs maintain national accreditation with some maintaining multiple accreditations across several disciplines. These programs include: Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies, Health Science, Kinesiology, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Recreation Administration and Leisure Studies, and Social Work Education. The Gerontology Program maintains a certificate program that meets established national standards.

Each of these programs offer professionally relevant education to prepare students for clinical practice and leadership in their respective professional fields. Many graduates are successful in finding employment in institutional settings that serve older adults across the region.

Preparing students for these types of professional opportunities is enhanced by relevant curriculum design, including both classroom and clinical education, included as degree requirements in undergraduate and graduate programs in the health and human service professions.