Jennifer Wolff is a gerontologist and health services researcher who studies community-based chronic and long-term care delivery for frail and multimorbid older adults, with a particular emphasis on family caregiving. She is interested in understanding how the composition and experience of family caregivers is changing over time, how family caregivers navigate the medical system to facilitate health care for the individuals to whom they provide assistance, and the role of the medical community in supporting family caregivers. Dr. Wolff is a core member of both the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care and the Health Services Research and Development Center and holds a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. Dr. Wolff was recently awarded a career development award from the National Institute of Mental Health entitled “Optimizing Family Involvement in Late-Life Depression Care”.

health services research, gerontology, long-term care, family caregiving, assistive technology, chronic disease and disability

2002 Marilyn Bergner Award in Health Services Research

Delta Omega Honor Society

Boyd CM, Reider L, Frey K, Scharfstein D, Leff B, Wolff J, Groves C, Karm L, Wegener S, Marsteller J, Boult C. The Effects of Guided Care on the Perceived Quality of Health Care for Multi-morbid Older Persons: 18 month Outcomes from A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. forthcoming, Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Wolff JL, Rand-Giovanetti E, Boyd CM, Reider L, Palmer S, Scharfstein D, Marsteller J, Wegener S, Frey K, Leff B, Frick KD, Groves C, Boult C. Effects of Guided Care on Family Caregivers; forthcoming in The Gerontologist

Wolff JL, Meadow A, Weiss C, Boyd CM, Leff B. Physician Evaluation and Management of Medicare Home Health Patients; Medical Care; 2009; 47(11):1147-55.

Giovannetti ER, Wolff JL, Frick KD, Boult C. Validation of a Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Scale for Informal Caregivers of Chronically Ill Older Adults; Value in Health; 2009; 12(6) 1011-1017.

Wolff JL, Rand-Giovanetti E, Palmer S, Wegener S, Reider L, Frey K, Boult C; Caregiving and Chronic Care: The Guided Care Program for Family and Friends; Journal of Gerontology Medical Sciences; 2009; 64(7): 785-791.

Wolff JL, Roter DL, Gitlin LN, Given B; Optimizing Patient and Family Involvement in Geriatric Home Care; Journal for Health Care Quality; 2009; 31(2); 24-33.

Wolff JL and Roter DL; Hidden in Plain Sight: Medical Visit Companions as a Resource for Vulnerable Older Adults; Archives of Internal Medicine; 2008; 168(13):1409-1415.

Wolff JL, Meadow A, Weiss C, Boyd CM, Leff B; Medicare Home Health Patients’ Transitions Through Acute and Post-Acute Care Settings, Medical Care; 2008; 46(11) 1188-1193.

Arbaje AI, Wolff JL, Powe NR, Anderson GF, Boult C; Post-Discharge Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors and the Likelihood of Early Hospital Readmission among Community-Dwelling Medicare Beneficiaries; The Gerontologist; 2008; 48(4): 495-504.

Weiss CO, Seplaki CL, Wolff JL, Kasper JD, Agree EM; Self-selected walking speed was consistent when recorded while using a cane; Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2008; 61:622-627.

Wolff JL, Kasper JD, Shore A; Long-Term Care Preferences Among Older Adults: A Moving Target? The Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 2008; 20(2): 182-200.

Boult C, Reider L, Frey K, Leff B, Boyd CM, Wolff JL, Wegener S, Marsteller J, Karm L, Scharfstein D; The early effects of “Guided Care” on the Quality of Health Care for Multi-morbid older persons: A cluster-randomized controlled trial; Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences; 2008:63(3);321-327.

Weiss CO, Boyd CM, Yu Q, Wolff JL, Leff B; Patterns of prevalent major chronic disease among older adults in the United States, JAMA, 2007; 298 (10): 1160-1162.

McNabney MK, Wolff JL, Semanick LM, Kasper, JD, Boult C; Care Needs of Higher-Functioning Nursing Home Residents; The Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2007; 8:409-412.

Bayliss EA, Bosworth HB, Noel PH, Wolff JL, Damush TM, McIvor L; Supporting self-management for patients with complex medical needs: recommendations of a working group; Chronic Illness, 2007;3(2):167-175

Dy SM, Wolff JL, Frick KD; Patient Characteristics and End-of-Life Health Care Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 1989-1999; Medical Care, 2007; 45(10) 926-930.

Frick KD, West E, Kempen J, Wolff JL; Cost of Visual Impairment and Blindness in the United States, Archives of Opthamology, 2007; 125(4):544-550.

Boyd CM, Boult C, Shadmi E, Leff B, Brager R, Dunbar L, Wolff JL, Wegener S; Guided Care for Multi-Morbid Older Adults, The Gerontologist, 2007; 47 (5).

Wolff JL, Dy SM, Frick KD, Kasper JD; End of Life Care: Findings from a National Survey of Caregivers, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007; 167(1): 40-46.

Wolff JL and Kasper JD; Caregivers of the Frail Elderly: Updating a National Profile; The Gerontologist, 2006; 46(3): 344-356.

Wolff JL and Boult C; Moving Beyond Round Pegs and Square Holes: Restructuring Medicare to Improve Chronic Care; Annals of Internal Medicine, 2005; 143(6): 439-445.

Wolff JL, Agree EM, Kasper JD; Canes, Walkers and Wheelchairs: What Does Medicare Pay for and Who Benefits? Health Affairs, 2005; 24(4): 1140-1149.

Wolff JL, Boult C, Boyd C, Anderson G; Newly Reported Chronic Conditions and Onset of Functional Dependency, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2005; 5: 851-855.

Wolff JL; Meeting Long Term Needs, Advanced Studies in Medicine, 2004; 4: 318-320.

Wolff JL and Kasper JD; Informal Caregiver Characteristics and Subsequent Hospitalization Outcomes Among Recipients of Care, Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 2004; 16(4): 307-313.

Wolff JL and Agree EM; Depression Among Recipients of Informal Care: The Effects of Reciprocity, Respect, and Adequacy of Support. Journal of Gerontology Social Sciences, 2004; 59B: S173-S180.

Wolff JL, Starfield B, Anderson G; Prevalence, Expenditures, and Complications of Multiple Chronic Conditions in the Elderly. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2002; 162: 2269-2276.