This page uses CSS to present the content in the best possible manner. If you can see this message, then CSS (or JavaScript) is not enabled in your browser, and the page will not appear as the designer intended.
Deborah K. Hedgecock earned her Ph.D. in Aging Studies in 2007. Her research has focused on long-term care, with an emphasis on litigation against nursing homes and implications for quality of life and public policy. She was an investigator for the Task Force on Availability and Affordability of Long-Term Care for the Florida Legislature and has conducted state-wide research related to nursing facility liability insurance coverage and litigation experiences. Dr. Hedgecock has significant experience in the collection of public record data, face-to-face and phone interviews, and internet-based surveys. Click here to see her curriculum vitae.
Dr. Hedgecock’s commitment to the field of aging studies stems from caring for her mother after a severe stroke at a young age, and later assisting her mother-in-law for seven years as she moved from living at home to assisted living, and finally to spending her last three years in a nursing facility. These experiences combined with her education and research provided Dr. Hedgecock with a multi-faceted understanding of the viewpoints and concerns of family members, nursing facility staff, and the general public in dealing with long-term care problems and resolutions.