In the News

Director of PEDAL lab, Norma B. Coe recently contributed to the Hill in an opinion piece urging for bolder, more comprehensive long-term care reform. In her op-ed, she highlights how current insurance and provider systems will not meet the needs of the U.S’s aging population.  Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Coe illustrates, long-term care has fallen to the responsibility of women, forced to leave the workforce in droves to care for their children and parents alike. This “informal” care system is far from costless, rather having significant health and economic consequences on

The PEDAL Lab is excited to announce the successful renewal of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) P30 application for the Population Aging Research Center (PARC). PEDAL Lab Director, Dr. Coe, will be the Co-Director of PARC along with Dr. Hans-Peter Kohler. PARC has 25 years of experience with research on the demography and economics of aging that fundamentally advances science and the policy-related evidence base. With continued NIA funding, PARC will be able to continue its important mission of fostering aging research at Penn for the next five years. With the renewal of PARC, comes a

The PEDAL Lab condemns the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. The disproportionate targeting and violence countless persons of color experience at the hands of police officers and the systematic lack of oversight is one of many ways structural racism affects the black community and our country. As a Lab, we are committed to improving aging for every American, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We are redoubling our efforts to move forward and fight for a safer and more equal society. We are open and listening;

PEDAL Lab Director, Norma B. Coe was interviewed on WHYY Radio Times for a segment on “Aging and the costs of long-term care.” As the proportion of the elderly population increases, major concerns exist about our ability to afford this and the shortage of caregivers. The issues Dr. Coe discussed include the affordability of long-term care (LTC) services, issues with adverse selection and LTC insurance, how Americans without children are handling their LTC needs, and the cost of informal care both to caregivers and to our economy. Click here to listen to the full podcast.

On Monday, December 12 Emily Blecker, MBA, PMP, Melissa Oney, PhD, and Liz Taggert, MPH presented at the Population Aging Research Center (PARC) on the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The HRS is a biannual-household survey that provides longitudinal information on aging including income and assets, health and cognition, and demographics. It is the most comprehensive nationally representative panel study of Americans who are over the age of 50. Ms. Blecker discussed general information in the HRS data and how to apply for the HRS restricted data, with a specific focus on the traditional