Promoting Healthy Aging through "Elder-Healer" Training

描述（由申请人提供）： 健康老龄化的研究已经确定，人际关系、意义感和生活目的是老年人幸福的重要预测因素。第一阶段SBIR应用程序是测试一种新的方法，以加强这些素质的社区居住的老人样本的可行性。受试者将接受整体护理和临终关怀中常用的触摸治疗技术的标准化培训，并将通过志愿服务或在自然社交网络中为他人提供支持来练习这些技能。目标1：确定干预对生活在社区中的老年人的生活意义感、归属感、情感幸福感和功能性生活质量的纵向受试者内效应，作为个体进行评估。目标二：将样本分成亚组，以确定预测谁最有可能和谁最不可能从干预中受益的标志物。目标3：确定在干预中教授的技术的利用的障碍和促进因素。实现上述目标将支持以下假设的检验：假设1：与对照阶段相比，干预阶段的受试者在有意义的生活感、归属感、情感幸福感和功能性生活质量方面将有显著改善。假设二：与他人一起使用干预技术的频率将预测受试者的有意义生活水平、归属感、情感幸福感和功能性生活质量。样本：60位居住在波士顿地区的老年人（60岁以上）。方法：我们将使用纵向、受试者内、对照和干预阶段设计，采用统计方法，提供传统方法无法提供的数据见解（N-of- 1“预处理”;在将个体受试者组合成复合组之前筛选数据;分层最优分类树分析）。前和后焦点小组将提供定性数据的障碍和利用的培训，干预的现象学，并为未来的完善批评的促进者。长远目标：第二阶段研究将发展多媒体培训方法，供长者大众使用。我们的目标是一个教育计划，是以证据为基础的，鼓舞人心的，并通过服务寻求意义和联系的老年人不断增长的大众市场。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Research in healthy aging has determined that interpersonal connectedness and sense of meaning and life purpose are important predictors of well-being in the elderly. This Phase I SBIR application is to test the feasibility of a novel approach to strengthening these qualities in a sample of community-dwelling elders. Subjects will be trained in a standardized regime of touch therapy techniques commonly used in holistic nursing and hospice care, and will practice the skills through volunteer service or providing support to others in their natural social networks. Aim 1: Determine the longitudinal within-subject effects of the intervention on sense of meaningful life, sense of belonging, emotional well-being, and functional quality of life in a sample of elders living in the community, assessed as individuals. Aim 2: Stratify the sample into subgroups to identify markers that predict who is most likely and who is least likely to benefit from the intervention. Aim 3: Identify barriers and facilitators of utilization of the techniques taught in the intervention. Achieving the above aims will support testing of the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: There will be significant improvements in sense of meaningful life, sense of belonging, emotional well-being, and functional quality of life for subjects in the intervention phase compared to the control phase. Hypothesis 2: Frequency of use of the intervention techniques with others will predict subjects' levels of meaningful life, sense of belonging, emotional well-being, and functional quality of life. Sample: 60 elders (age 60+) living in the Boston area. Method: We will use a longitudinal, within-subjects, control and intervention phases design employing statistical methodologies that provide insights into the data that are not afforded by traditional methods (N-of- 1 "pre-processing"; screening the data prior to combining individual subjects into composite groups; and hierarchically optimal classification tree analysis). Pre- and post focus groups will provide qualitative data on barriers and facilitators of utilization of the training, phenomenology of the intervention, and critique for future refinement. Long-term goal: A Phase II study would develop a multimedia approach to the training for popular consumption by elders. The goal is an educational program that is evidence-based, inspirational, and accessible to the growing mass market of elders seeking meaning and connection through service.