Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Kathleen Unroe, MD, MHA, M.S., is featured in the Hartford Foundation-funded PBS documentary “Aging in America: Survive or Thrive.” The one-hour film explores the complex challenges facing older adults in the U.S. while highlighting innovative care models that support thriving in later life.
Narrated by Emmy and Golden Globe award winning actor Martin Sheen, “Aging in America: Survive or Thrive” combines expert insights and personal stories to celebrate the promise of increased longevity while addressing urgent and unprecedented public policy challenges. Since 1975, when 25 million Americans were older than 65, that population has more than doubled to 55 million today. In just 10 years, older adults will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in U.S. history.
The documentary features Regenstrief’s longtime collaborators at the Fort Wayne PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) Program, a Medicare and Medicaid initiative providing comprehensive, community-based care. PACE helps 95% of its participants remain living in the community rather than moving to nursing homes, offering coordinated health services tailored to individual needs.
Dr. Unroe’s research and clinical work focus on improving quality of care, especially access to palliative and end-of-life care, for nursing home residents.
Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA
In addition to being a research scientist with the Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute, Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA, is a professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and a practicing geriatrician.
