December 6, 2024
The Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine’s research grants present an important opportunity to turn promising projects and innovations into practical solutions, tools, and resources. Two such grants have been awarded in 2024. Sarah Holmes, PhD, MSW, has received a $24,626 research grant for her project, Optimizing Meaning Activity and Reducing Sedentary Behavior Among Residents with Dementia in Assisted Living; and Erin O’Brien, MA, RN, received a $50,000 co-sponsored grant for PALTmed’s Redesign of Competencies Curriculum On-Demand Course.
Dr. Holmes says, “This project actually builds off of some of my prior work, and this grant will help to move it forward, so I am very grateful for this award.” In essence, she is testing the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a meaningful activity intervention in assisted living communities for residents living with dementia. She notes, “We’re looking to see whether the intervention can help to increase engagement in meaningful activity and reduce sedentary behavior among residents. So far, the work we’ve done shows that participation in meaningful activities can help to address behavioral symptoms such as agitation and resisting care. It also improves their quality of life. The current study will investigate whether meaningful activities can also decrease the sedentary behavior of residents.” She added that, depending on the ultimate findings of her study, “This would be a really powerful intervention that could be applied in assisted living communities for improving outcomes for residents living with dementia.”
For this study, Dr. Holmes and her team use a theoretically based approach. The intervention includes four components, starting with identifying a champion within the assisted living community. The study team also evaluates the environment and the policies within the community around optimizing meaningful activities. Next, she says, they educate direct care staff and others. She says, “In reality, all staff should be trained and receive education about meaningfully engaging with residents.”
Next, Dr. Holmes says, “We work with staff to identify opportunities for meaningful activities based on residents’ individualized preferences.” The study team has a tool they use to evaluate resident preferences and come up with goals for each individual. Finally, Dr. Holmes explains, “We work to mentor and motivate the staff and residents, and this is really one of the most important aspects in terms of getting residents and staff to engage in meaningful activities over time.” She stresses that to be effective, activities must be personalized for each resident and should give them meaning, purpose, and value.
Ultimately, Dr. Holmes says, “We are hoping to understand and develop evidence-based guidance on care approaches that can be used to encourage meaningful activities among assisted living residents living with dementia.” She also hopes to use some of the data collected in this study to apply for a future grant to test the effectiveness of this intervention in a larger sample of assisted living residents with dementia.
Grants like this one from the Foundation for PALTC Medicine are so important for researchers, particularly those who are beginning their careers or in the early stages of a study. “This grant provides important support and enables us to collect pilot data and test interventions that can be implemented in communities. It also allows for the rapid translation of an innovative idea into effective practice,” Dr. Holmes says. In addition to the funding support received from the Foundation, the association allows researchers like her and others to have a ready-made audience of interested practitioners, as they will have an opportunity to present their findings at a future annual conference and publish their study in JAMDA.
Of her winning grant, Ms. O’Brien, PALTmed’s director of education and clinical resources, says, “I’m delighted and grateful that the Foundation is providing significant funding to create an updated, professionally designed course that will provide tailored guidance specific to the distinctive clinical and professional skills necessary for clinicians who practice across the PALTC continuum.” The new course, PALTessentials: Navigating Clinical Practice, will feature interactive elements for learners, emphasize best practices, and address existing content gaps.
Ms. O’Brien adds, “I’m confident that the new course will also help expand PALTmed’s educational reach to include nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who have increased significantly in number since the initial course was developed, as well as the growing number of clinicians who are making mid-career transitions to PALTC from other settings.”
Foundation grants focus on advancing vital strategic priorities that promote the organization’s charitable purposes in advancing national research, workforce development, and providing education and clinical resources by and for the post-acute and long-term care practitioner. Visit the Foundation for PALTC Medicine website to learn more about the grants program and to make a donation in support of the Foundation’s national mission.