Long-Term Care that Improve Resident Quality of life

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Pragmatic Innovations in Long-Term Care that Improve Resident Quality of Life: A Conference Grant Proposal to the National Institute on Aging; Abstract: This U-13 cooperative conference grant proposal seeks to convene a national conference to develop a research agenda on pragmatic innovations in long-term care (LTC) that can improve resident quality of life. The need for change in LTC is widely acknowledged, and both consumers and providers are dissatisfied with many components of the present system. Furthermore, within the LTC industry itself, a growing movement believes that new models of care are possible without major increases in cost. A key feature of such innovations is a focus on the LTC residents, with the goal of improving the quality of their day-to-day experiences. These innovations are implemented at a grassroots level and have only rarely been the focus of rigorous evaluation. As a result, the research most needed in order to identify and spread successful innovation is nonexistent, incomplete, or poorly disseminated. Therefore, the proposed conference will put in place a process whereby existing knowledge on pragmatic innovations in LTC will be summarized, gaps identified, and priorities set. The conference will assemble 35 experts in LTC practice, policy, and research, toward the following goals: a) to increase awareness among the research and policy Communities about the range of innovations currently being implemented in LTC, and about which anecdotal, case report, and/or research data exist indicating a positive impact on resident outcomes; b) to select (from among those identified innovations) the approaches that appear to have potential to enhance resident quality of life and to be widely applicable in LTC, for which further efficacy and/or effectiveness research and broader dissemination is indicated; and c) to develop a research agenda to assess the efficacy and/or effectiveness of these innovations, including recommending methodological approaches to address the identified research priorities. In close collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, these efforts will culminate in two published reports: a review of the current status of pragmatic innovations in LTC and related research, and a research agenda (including rationale and methodological recommendations).