A Note From:
IOA Associate Director for Research Jennifer Craft Morgan
Showcasing Aging Research in North Carolina: Putting UNC Charlotte's Aging Research Services Project to Work for the Community
Directed by Dr. Rachel Seymour, Aging Research Services (ARS) is a new project developed by the Gerontology Program at UNC Charlotte to assist community agencies, businesses, and the scholarly community with data management, evaluation, and research related to the issues of baby boomers, older adults and aging. ARS faculty develops collaborative relationships to promote the health, wellness, and well-being of older North Carolinians working as the outreach arm of the UNC Charlotte Gerontology Program.
Aging Research Services began as a project through the UNC Charlotte Gerontology Program with start-up funding from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In response to a perceived community need, Dr. Dena Shenk, the Director of the Gerontology Program, was encouraged to pursue the concept of developing a place at UNC Charlotte to handle funded requests for needs assessment, data management, evaluation and education in the aging area.
ARS has been working closely with the Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA), to develop and implement an outcome evaluation of a walking program being conducted in nine counties in the region as part of the AAA’s Health Promotion Disease Prevention mission. ARS is also working with The Laurels, a Charlotte area assisted living facility, to evaluate the outcomes of the Posit Science Brain Fitness Program, a cognitive intervention, with a small sample of older adults. The Posit Science Brain Fitness Program has a series of modules designed to challenge cognitive processes with the intent of improving cognitive function. The study will evaluate the impact of participation in the Posit Science Brain Fitness Program on well-being, energy/fatigue, and self-rated health.
ARS is working with colleagues at UNC Charlotte on the development and submission of grant proposals, and to conduct data analyses for existing projects. Currently, they are working with Dr. Boyd Davis, Dr. Dena Shenk and their research team, to conduct analyses for a three-year grant from the national Alzheimer’s Association. They have developed and tested the effectiveness of culturally competent materials on communicating with people with dementia. The project was implemented in the Nursing Assistant training program at Central Piedmont Community College.
ARS also has been working with colleagues nationally. ARS will take the lead on the evaluation component of a grant received from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The proposal, “Reducing Incontinence to Promote Better Health,” addresses two critical quality indicators for nursing homes: incontinence and pressure ulcers. The project will provide a 96-bed skilled nursing facility with the equipment and training needed to reduce the incidence of incontinence and pressure ulcers among their residents. Under Dr. Seymour’s direction, ARS will conduct a rigorous evaluation of the implementation.
As ARS expands, the plan is to hire Graduate Assistants to work under the Director’s supervision to serve Charlotte area aging service providers, the business community, and gerontology researchers at UNC Charlotte.
ARS is a promising model for scholars in aging research interested in engaging and serving their communities across North Carolina. We congratulate Drs. Shenk and Seymour in developing innovative ways to use their expertise to foster evidence-based programs and services for older adults in their community and across the country.
Stay tuned for next month’s IOA newsletter to learn about another interesting project with great potential for positive impact on the lives of older adults with dementia in long-term care – The Snoezelen Project at Appalachian State University.
Dr. Morgan welcomes your submissions at any time for future editions of Showcasing Aging Research in North Carolina.