A sobering new study by researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology finds that elder abuse in low-income Latino communities goes largely unreported.

More than 40 percent of Latino elders told Spanish-speaking interviewers that they had been abused or neglected in the last year — yet only 1.5 percent of victims said they had ever reported the abuse to authorities.

A researcher whose work and influence can be felt on a global scale, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Eileen Crimmins, PhD, was named the winner of the 2012 Robert W. Kleemeier Award, one of the most prestigious given by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Named for an influential former president of GSA, the Kleemeier Award is given in recognition of outstanding research in the field of gerontology. Crimmins, who holds the AARP Chair of Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School, is also the director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health as well as the Multidisciplinary Training in Gerontology Program and the Network on Biological Risk, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Her research explores the connections between socioeconomic factors, life expectancy and other health outcomes.

“Eileen Crimmins is truly one of the all-time greats. The importance of her work to gerontology—as well to science in general—cannot be overstated,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “We are enormously proud to see her recognized with this wonderful award.”

Crimmins will receive an inscribed crystal award during a special presentation at the President’s Opening Session in November for this year’s GSA, to be held in San Diego, CA. She will present the Kleemeier Lecture at GSA’s 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting, to be held in New Orleans, LA.

“I will receive this award not only because of my own research but because I am a member of the faculty at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology: the best institution for gerontological research in the world,” Crimmins said. “I am honored to join my fellow faculty members Vern Bengtson and Caleb Finch in the list of Kleemeier awardees.”

Nowhere on earth will the impact of the aging revolution be as drastic as in China—by 2050, there will be more than 400 million Chinese citizens over the age of 60.

With an enormous population, a low mortality rate and its infamous “one child” policy, China is now in the unique position of having too few younger people to support its older citizens, who face a dangerously stressed national infrastructure. As the world watches to see how the nation meets these unprecedented challenges, high-ranking officials invited the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Assistant Dean, Maria Henke, M.A., to explore the possibility of international collaborations.

Drawing on the USC Leonard Davis School’s international reputation among Asian countries and its success with a pilot gerontology-training program in Tokyo, Henke toured many of the country’s facilities and universities. Accompanied by USC Leonard Davis/Keck School professor Edward L. Schneider, MD, and the USC Leonard Davis School’s Director of International Student Initiatives, May Ng, Henke also embarked on a series of meetings to lay the groundwork for future partnerships.

“The link between the USC Leonard Davis School and Asia has always been strong, and we are thrilled about the opportunities our aging expertise could create in China,” said Henke. “We have the potential to help enact very real changes that will benefit literally millions of older adults in China and beyond.”

“Maria was besieged the phone calls from Chinese universities interested in working with the USC Leonard Davis School,” Schneider said. “They recognized that USC was the leading university in the field of gerontology and were eager to discuss collaborations.”

After attending the first China International Senior Services Expo in Shanghai, Henke and Schneider also met with Du Yubo, the Vice Minister of Education, as well as representatives of City University of Hong Kong, the Alliance of International Education, the University of Peking, Renmin University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Technology.

“We were honored to meet so many Chinese and international experts in the field,” Henke said. “The universal desire to improve the quality of life for the older adults of today as well as of tomorrow was inspiring in any language.”

Besides the discussions of academic and professional gerontological programs, the pair met with representatives from planned senior housing communities such as Display Infinity Limited and Belmont Villages.

Every year, safe, affordable housing options for older adults become more crucial. In recognition of his esteemed career serving the housing needs of the world’s aging population, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Jon Pynoos, PhD, was honored with the Janet L. Witkin Humanitarian Award from Affordable Living for the Aging (ALA).

“I am very honored to receive ALA’s award named for Janet Witkin, whom I first met in 1980 when I was just starting out at USC,” Pynoos said. “Despite the challenges of developing housing for low-income seniors, Janet pioneered the concepts of shared housing and house-matching. She was innovative, tenacious and big-hearted.”“Dr. Pynoos is a powerful advocate for helping others understand that how we design housing—with considerations for the built environment and services—can enhance the vitality of individuals at any age,” said Rachel Caraviello, ALA’s VP of Programs and Services and a USC Leonard Davis alumna. “He has spent his career advising leaders like Janet and educating decision makers, nationally, about the need for more accessible, affordable housing so our communities are prepared to support an aging population.”

Janet L. Witkin founded ALA in 1978 after seeing the limited housing options available to her ailing grandfather. Over the course of her career, she created the first cooperative living house for seniors in L.A., a roommate-matching program and five cooperative residences for low-income seniors. Although she died in 2009, her work lives on in the mission of ALA, who have helped more than 30,000 seniors in their search for safe, stable housing.

“I am inspired by those who are following in Janet’s footsteps to create innovative programs and housing opportunities, to impact the lives of L.A.’s seniors and to prove that if there is a will, there is a way,” Pynoos said. “Shared and supportive housing is life-enriching at a time when older people’s incomes, social networks and supports are often shrinking. Today, such housing options are particularly important.”

In his speech, Pynoos discussed his urban planning, fall prevention and aging research, describing how older adults benefit from the increased companionship, engagement and support found in shared living arrangements like the ones ALA builds—and how absolutely necessary it is to take a fresh look at housing needs through an aging lens.

“Winston Churchill once said, ‘We shape our houses and later they shape us,’” Pynoos said. “ALA has proved Churchill wrong. Keep up the good work.”