Dr. Jaroslava Zimmermann

Curriculum Vitae

Academic Background

Professional Career

Publications and Presentations

Publications

Demirer, I. & Zimmermann, J. (2025). Social isolation, loneliness and positive affect before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in very old adults living in Germany: A quasi-experimental multi-sample study [submitted]. University of Cologne.

Hülür, G. & Zimmermann, J. (2025). The role of individual and environmental socio-economic resources for cognitive change in very old age. Social Science & Medicine, 364, 117544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117544

Wenner J., Albrecht A., Zimmermann J. (2025). Challenges in research on the oldest old: The example of inequalities in functional health. Article in Special Issue „Sociology of age and ageing: theoretical and empirical challenges (re-) visited“ in Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie [accepted].

Zimmermann, J. (2024). Impact of neighborhood context on self-rated health among very old adults living in Germany: A cross-sectional representative study. BMC Geriatrics, 24 (581). https://doi.org/ 10.1186/s12877-024-05175-y

Fey, J. & Zimmermann, J. (2024). Socioeconomical inequalities in functional health among very old adults in Germany. In C. Earl & P. Taylor (Hrsg.), Ageing, Work and Welfare Series. Handbook of Inequalities in Later Life. Edward Elgar Publishing. Page 182–195. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789907247.00019

Kaspar, R., Albrecht, A., Brijoux, T., Fey, J., Geithner, L., Oswald, V., Reissmann, M., Wagner, M., Wenner, J., Zank, S. & Zimmermann, J. (2024). Successful life conduct in very old age: Theoretical implications and empirical support from a population-based study. Applied Research Quality Life. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10301-4

Zimmermann J., Brijoux T. & Zank, S. (2023): Erkrankungen, Pflegebedürftigkeit und subjektive Gesundheit im hohen Alter [Diseases, care dependency, and subjective health in very old age]. In: Kaspar R., Simonson J., Tesch-Römer C., Wagner M., Zank, S. (Hg.): Hohes Alter in Deutschland [Old age in Germany]. Springer-Verlag GmbH. 1st edition 2023. Berlin: Springer Berlin (Schriften zu Gesundheit und Gesellschaft - Studies on Health and Society, 8). https://www.springerprofessional.de/hohes-alter-in-deutschland/25574328

Kaspar R., Brijoux T., Albrecht A., Zimmermann J., Wenner J., Fey J. et al. (2023): Challenges and benefits of including the institutionalized, non-communicative and cognitively impaired in a representative survey of the very old. In: Survey Research Methods. 12 (2), p. 111-129. https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/srm/article/view/8008

Zimmermann J. & Kaspar R. (2023): Lebenssituation und Lebensqualität sehr alter Menschen in Deutschland [Living situation and quality of life of very old people in Germany]. In: Pro Alter 23 (1). https://kda.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ProAlter_1_2023_Cover.pdf

Zimmermann J. (2022): Individual characteristics associated with the utilization of nursing care in the very old population: A cross-sectional study. In: BMC Geriatr 22 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03448-y

Zimmermann J. & Brijoux T. (2022): Gesundheit [Health]. In: Wagner M. & Zank S. (Hg.): Abschlussbericht: Lebensqualität und Wohlbefinden hochaltriger Menschen in NRW (Folgebefragung NRW80+) [Final report: Quality of life and well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia (Follow-up survey NRW80+)]. Cologne: University of Cologne, Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics, and Social Sciences of Health (ceres). pp. 20–46. Available at https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-83335-2

Wagner M., Kaspar R., Wenner J., Zimmermann J. & Zank S. (2022): Abschlussbetrachtung und Empfehlungen [Final considerations and recommendations]. In: Wagner M. & Zank S. (Hg.): Abschlussbericht: Lebensqualität und Wohlbefinden hochaltriger Menschen in NRW (Folgebefragung NRW80) [Final report: Quality of life and well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia (Follow-up survey NRW80+)] Cologne: University of Cologne, pp. 127–133. Available at https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-83335-2

Zimmermann J., Hansen S. & Wagner M. (2021). Home environment and frailty in very old adults. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-021-01969-6

Zimmermann J. (2019): Organisationsbezogene Determinanten der Versorgungsqualität in stationären Altenpflegeeinrichtungen [Organizational determinants of care quality in inpatient nursing facilities for elderly]. Doctoral thesis. Cologne: University of Cologne. Available at https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/10416/.

Zimmermann J., Swora M., Pfaff H., Zank S. (2019). Organizational factors of fall injuries among residents within German nursing homes: Secondary analyses of cross-sectional data. European Journal of Ageing 16(4): 503-512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00511-3

Zimmermann J., Kelleter H. (2018). Versorgungskonzepte für Pflegebedürftige mit kognitiven Einschränkungen. Vergleich der Qualitätsergebnisse des Projektes "Ergebnisqualität in der stationären Altenhilfe" (EQisA) [Care concepts for people in need of care with cognitive impairments: A comparison of quality outcomes from the "Outcome Quality in Institutional Elderly Care" (EQisA) project]. Pflegewissenschaft, 20(7/8): 337 – 345. doi: 10.3936/1567

Zimmermann J., Pfaff H. (2018). Influence of nurse staffing levels on resident weight loss within German nursing homes. Research in Gerontological Nursing 11(1): 48 – 56. https://doi.org/10.3928/19404921-20180109-01

Zimmermann J. (2010). Modely kolektivnych akcii [Models of collective actions]. Socialne a politicke analyzy 4(1): 67 – 137. https://unibook.upjs.sk/img/cms/ff-sapa-casopis/sapa1-2010.pdf

Presentations

Demirer I. & Zimmermann J. (2024). Einfluss der COVID-19 Pandemie auf die hochaltrige Population in Deutschland [Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on very old population in Germany]. Oral presenation at the Joint Spring Conference of the German Sociological Society's sections ‘Ageing and Society’ and ‘Medical and Health Sociology’, Dortmund.

Zimmermann, J. & Demirer, I. (2024). Does social cohesion mediate the effect of neighborhood context on functional health in the very old? Cross-sectional analysis of German population-based data. Poster presented at the 27th Nordic Congress of Gerontology, Stockholm, Sweden. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae098.0283

Zimmermann, J. & Demirer, I. (2024). Einfluss der COVID-19 Pandemie auf die sozialen Ressourcen und das Wohlbefinden der hochaltrigen Menschen in Deutschland: Ergebnisse der D80+-Studie und des Deutschen Alterssurveys [Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on social resources and well-being of the very old in Germany: Findings from the D80+ study and the German Ageing Survey]. Oral presentation at the Joint Annual Congress of the German Geriatrics Society (DGG) and the German Gerontological Society (DGGG), “Aging without borders”, Kassel, Germany.

Zimmermann, J. & Demirer, I. (2024). Environmental resources and mediating role of social cohesion on functional health in the very old. Cross-sectional analysis of German population-based data. Oral presentation at the Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Zimmermann J. (2023): Impact of Environmental Characteristics on Self-Rated Health Among the Very Old in Germany During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Oral presentation and chair of the paper session "Outcomes of COVID-19" at the Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, Tampa, FL.

Zimmermann J. (2023): Auswirkungen des Wohnumfelds auf die Gebrechlichkeit hochaltriger Menschen in Deutschland während der COVID-19 Pandemie [Effects of the living environment on frailty in the very old in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic]. Oral presentation and chair of the session "Housing" at the Joint Annual Conference of Section III: Social and Behavioral Gerontology and Section IV: Social Gerontology and Elderly Care of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG), Vechta, Germany.

Zimmermann J. (2023): Einfluss von wohnbezogenen Merkmalen auf Gebrechlichkeit (Frailty) bei hochaltrigen Menschen in Deutschland [Influence of housing-related characteristics on frailty in very old people in Germany]. Oral presentation at the 2023 User Conference of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), Berlin, Germany.

Zimmermann J., Brijoux T. & Zank S. (2022). Forschungsergebnisse von ceres und DZA zu Gesundheit, Krankheit und Demenz im hohen Alter [Research findings from ceres and the DZA on health, diseases, and dementia in very old age]. Oral presentation at the Final Conference D80+ „Hohes Alter in Deutschland: Teilhabe, Gesundheit und Lebensqualität“ Berlin, Germany.

Zimmermann J. (2022). Socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health in very old adults during COVID-19 pandemic. Oral presentation at the 26th Nordic Congress of Gerontology, Odense, Denmark.

Zimmermann J. (2021). Impact of Physical and Social Frailty on the Utilization of Nursing Care Services in Very Old Adults. Oral presentation at the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting, online. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab046.2193

Zimmermann J. (2021). Wohnumgebung und Frailty bei hochaltrigen Personen [Living environment and frailty in the very old]. Oral presentation at the Joint Conference of Section III: Social and Behavioral Gerontology and Section IV: Social Gerontology and Elderly Care of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG), online.

Zimmermann J. (2021). Social factors influencing frailty in very old adults. Poster presented at the 25th Nordic Gerontology Congress, Reykjavík/online.

Zimmermann J. (2019). Vergleich der Versorgungsformen für Pflegebedürftige mit kognitiven Einschränkungen [Comparison of care arrangements for people in need of care with cognitive impairments]. Oral presentation at the Symposium "Pflegequalität messen und Vergleichen” [Measuring and comparing care quality] at the Bremen Care Congress – The Future Challenges of Care, Bremen, Germany.

Zimmermann J., Swora M., Pfaff H. & Zank S. (2018). Impact of nursing home characteristics on resident fall injuries. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy023.2673

Zimmermann J. & Kelleter H. (2018). Vergleich der Versorgungsformen für kognitiv Beeinträchtigte in der Langzeitpflege [Comparison of care arrangements for cognitively impaired individuals in long-term care]. Oral presentation at the Annual Congress of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG) – "Diversity of Aging: Biomedical and Psychosocial Challenges," Cologne, Germany.

Zimmermann J., Pfaff H. & Kelleter H. (2017). Organisationsbezogene Determinanten von Gewichtsabnahmen bei Bewohnern in stationären Altenpflegeeinrichtungen [Organizational determinants of weight loss among residents in institutional long-term care facilities]. Oral presentation at the Annual Conference of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG) – "Heterogeneity of Aging," Fulda, Germany.

Zimmermann J. & Pfaff H. (2017). Organizational factors of resident weight loss in German nursing homes. Poster presented at the Congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG), San Francisco, CA. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.893

Zimmermann J. (2017). Organisationsbezogene Einflussfaktoren der Pflegequalität am Beispiel von Stürzen in stationären Pflegeeinrichtungen [Organizational determinants influencing care quality: The example of falls in institutional care facilities]. Oral presentation at the Science-Practice Collegiate Conference of the NRW Research College GROW, Cologne, Germany.

Zimmermann J., Pfaff H. & Kelleter H. (2017). Nursing staffing and weight loss in German nursing homes. Poster presented at the Nursing Global & Healthcare Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Zimmermann J. (2016). Verteilung der Ergebnisqualität anhand struktureller Merkmale der EQisA-Pflegeeinrichtungen [Distribution of outcome quality based on structural characteristics of care facilities participating in the EQisA project]. Oral presentation at the conference of the Diocesan Caritas Association for the Archdiocese of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Zimmermann J. & Pfaff H. (2016). Organizational determinants of quality of care in German nursing homes. Poster presented at Aging & Society, Norrköping, Schweden.

Zimmermann J., Pfaff H. & Wagner M. (2016). Strukturelle Determinanten der Ergebnisqualität in stationären Altenpflegeeinrichtungen: Ein transdisziplinäres Dissertationsprojekt [Structural determinants of quality outcomes in institutional long-term care facilities: A transdisciplinary dissertation project]. Poster presentation at the Annual Congress of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG) – "Life and Aging – Functionality and Quality," Stuttgart, Germany.

Zimmermann J. (2016). Alternsfreundliche Arbeitswelt [Age-friendly work environment]. Oral presentation at the public event of the Volkshochschule Cologne and the NRW Research College GROW on "Pathways to an age-friendly culture," Cologne, Germany.