P0045982 Late Life Disability: Epidemiology, Symptoms, Quality of Life

描述（由申请人提供）：多达1800万65岁以上的美国人患有某种形式的残疾或功能障碍。然而，人们对残疾老年人在死亡前能活多久知之甚少，而这些信息对于从患者和决策者的角度进行规划都很重要。此外，虽然残疾被广泛认为会对生活质量产生负面影响，但晚年残疾老年人的生活质量问题尚未得到很好的描述。研究的目的是：(1)利用NIA资助的健康和退休研究，提供第一个具有全国代表性的老年人死亡前在残疾州度过的时间的估计，并检查关键人口特征如何影响这一时间；(2)采用横断面原始数据研究，检验并完善残障老年人生活质量的概念模型；(3)试点一项随时间推移影响生活质量因素的纵向研究。候选人将利用旧金山多样化的老年人人口，从旧金山老年和成人服务部、旧金山大学旧金山分校附属诊所和老年人家庭服务部门招募目标2和3的受试者。本研究课题适合于候选人成为老年医学/姑息医学界面的国家领导者的总体目标。候选人没有接受过正式培训

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As many as 18 million Americans over age 65 suffer from some form of disability or functional impairment. Yet little is known about how long elders will live with disability prior to death, information that is important for planning from the perspectives of both patients and policy makers. Furthermore, while disability is widely assumed to negatively impact quality of life, quality of life concerns of elders with late life disability ave not been well described. The research aims are (1) using the NIA funded Health and Retirement Study, to provide the first nationally representative estimates of the amount of time elders spend in disabled states prior to death, and examine how key demographic characteristics impact this amount of time; (2) using a cross sectional primary data study, to test and refine a conceptual model of quality of life for disabled elders; (3) to pilot a longitudinal study of factors influencng quality of life over time. The candidate will leverage the diverse population of elders in San Francisco by recruiting subjects for Aims 2 and 3 from On Lok, the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services, and UCSF affiliated clinic and home based services for older adults. This research topic is suited to the candidate's overarching goal of becoming a national leader at the geriatrics/palliative medicine interface. The candidate does not have formal training in the principles of geriatrics research, psychosocial aspects of aging and quality of life, longitudinal studies, and leadership. Through a mixture of coursework, structured tutorials, and conferences, over the course of the award period the candidate will: (1) improve clinical skills and knowledge in geriatrics; (2) gain skills in psychosocial aspects of aging and quality of life research; (3) acquire skills and experience in the design, assembly, and analysis of longitudinal cohort studies in diverse populations; and (4) become a leading aging researcher at the interface of geriatrics and palliative medicine.