West Virginia University professor Nora MacDonald wants to educate others about the clothing needs of older persons. And she traveled to Finland to do it.

MacDonald, professor of textiles, apparel and merchandising in WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, presented her co-authored paper,”Bridging the Divide: Diverse Entities Work to Meet the Apparel Needs of Older Consumers,”at the 2002 Easytex First International Conference on Clothing and Textiles for Disabled and Elderly People in Tempere, Finland.

The conference was held in mid-June in an effort to bridge the gap between consumers, producers, researchers, designers and authorities in the field of textiles for the disabled and elderly. The growing population of the worlds elderly and the increasingly active lifestyles of those over the age of 50 have created a push in the textiles, apparel and merchandising industries to meet the demands of this growing consumer group.

In their article, MacDonald and her co-authors tracked the success of the United Nations1999 International Year of Older Persons campaign. In that campaign, a network of academicians and people from the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association (SGMA), sports, sports apparel, public relations and the fashion industries worked together to promote the manufacturing and distribution of appropriate apparel for active, older consumers.

“The primary purposes of this apparel marketing campaign project were to enhance the integration of older persons into society in the 21st century by promoting functional, fashionable clothing and an active lifestyle, and to assist in the celebration of the UNs International Year of Older Persons in 1999 and beyond,”said MacDonald.

The success of the campaign was far reaching, MacDonald said. Educational symposiums, fashion shows and fashion segments on The Today Show and Good Morning America were just a few of the positive outcomes generated by the campaign, MacDonald noted.

A photo gallery of women of all ages subsequently appeared in Vogue in 2001 and in Harpers Bazaar in 2002, she said.

MacDonald hopes family and consumer sciences professionals join forces to develop and execute research and programs related to consumers to educate students, the public, businesses, the media and international organizations, such as the United Nations. She also recommends textile, apparel and merchandising educators and business professionals become more involved in the international gerontology community.

MacDonald is the recipient of WVU s Anderson Faculty Enrichment Fund and a Faculty Travel Grant. She is the WVU faculty and undergraduate mentor for the Undergraduate Research Community for the Human Sciences, a nationally recognized program that enhance undergraduate education.

MacDonalds co-authors of”Bridging the Divide”were Maria Dennison Stefan, executive director and vice president of global business development, SGMA ; M. Jo Kallal, University of Delaware; and Sandra Keiser, chair, fashion department, Mount Mary College.