How Perceptions of Time Influence the Management of Chronic Noncancer Pain

A recent article published in Gerontologist, and co-authored by TRIPLL members and affiliates, sought to evaluate the immediate and delayed consequences of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) management. Over the course of the study, focus group sessions with patients, physicians, and physical therapists. Audiotapes of the sessions were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods. The authors' identified "multiple aspects of time perceptions relevant to the management of CNCP: the long-term prognosis, the time horizon used for concrete treatment planning, and concerns about future side effects." The authors also found that "time horizons in treatment planning differed between patients who were present-focused and providers who were focused on longer term effects, but treatment horizons did not differ by patient age."

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1-Month Readmissions Among Seriously Ill Older Adults

In the Journal of Palliative Medicine a recent article sought to identify hospital readmission rates among seriously ill older adults who received palliative treatment prior to discharge. The study cohort consisted of 408 patients (age 65 and older) who were readmitted 30-days after "palliative consultation and subsequent hospital discharge." More than 10 % of discharged palliative care patients were readmitted with in 30-days. The authors found that "factors associated with hospital readmission included being discharged from the hospital with no care in the home or to a nursing facility." The authors conclude that more research is needed to determine how to reduce 30-day readmission rates among seriously ill patients.

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Cost- Effectiveness of Self-management Methods for Older Adults with Chronic Pain

Last month, Clinical Journal of Pain published a study that evaluated the cost effectiveness of self- management techniques for older adults. The study employed a "systematic review of randomized controlled trials with cost-effectiveness data and at least 6 months follow up." The authors identified 10 RCT studies that reported participants' age 60 and older and met all other inclusion criteria. Seven of the 10 RCT studies found self- management methods for chronic pain to be more effective and cost efficient than regular treatment. The authors found that "uncertainty over conclusions regarding cost-effectiveness exists partly due to lack of information regarding societal willingness to pay for pain improvement."

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Adverse Effects of Analgesics Commonly Used by Older Adults

An article published in the American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy assessed the adverse effects caused by analgesics commonly used by older adults with osteoarthritis.  The authors performed a systematic review of the literature using online databases and the search terms, "analgesics," "acetaminophen," "non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs" (NSAIDs), "opioids," "pharmacokinetics," "pharmacodynamics," and "adverse drug events." The authors found that "NSAIDs should be limited to short-term use only, and for moderate-to-severe OA-related pain, opioids may be preferable in individuals without substance abuse or dependence issues."

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Mechanistic Studies of Pain and Alcohol Dependence (R01)
"Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-11-267
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications that propose to conduct mechanistic studies on the relationship between alcohol drinking, alcohol dependence and pain. An association between chronic pain conditions and alcohol dependence has been revealed in numerous studies with episodes of alcohol abuse antedating chronic pain in some people and alcohol dependence emerging after the onset of chronic pain in others. Pain transmission and alcohol's reinforcing effects share overlapping neural substrates giving rise to the possibility that chronic pain states significantly affect alcohol use patterns and promote the development of dependence and addiction. In addition, long term alcohol intoxication and alcohol dependence induce pain symptoms and may exacerbate chronic pain arising from other sources. The objective of this FOA is to understand genetic, pharmacological and learning mechanisms underlying the association between the propensity to drink alcohol and pain responses."

 
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Mayday Fund of New York
"The Mayday Fund is dedicated to alleviating the incidence, degree, and consequence of human physical pain.

The Mayday Fund's current grant-making targets are projects that result in clinical interventions to reduce the toll of physical pain, pediatric pain, pain in non-verbal populations, and pain in the context of emergency medicine. Mayday will also continue to be proactive in its commitment to promote networking between veterinary and human medicine, especially in an effort to inform measurements of pain in non-verbal populations. Finally, the trustees of the Mayday Fund wish to be nimble enough to respond as special opportunities present themselves. Grants are made only to public charities and educational institutions officially recognized as such by the IRS. The Mayday Fund concentrates its activities in the United States. On occasion, grants have been made to Canadian organizations when the project has an effect that reaches beyond Canada. Grants cannot be made to individuals."

Applications are continuous and no specified due date is applied.

Age-Related Funding

Translational Research at the Aging/Cancer Interface (TRACI) (R01)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-12-136

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages translational research proposals in the overlapping areas of human aging and cancer, linking basic and clinical research relevant to the care of older cancer patients through both bench-to-bedside and bedside-to-bench approaches. Ultimately, information from the research supported by this initiative should improve the health and well-being of elderly patients at risk for, or diagnosed with, cancer and decrease the functional impairment and morbidity associated with cancer in this population.    

T1 Translational Research:  Novel interventions for prevention and treatment of age-related conditions (R21)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAS-11-280

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages exploratory/developmental R21 research projects to accelerate the pace of development of novel therapeutics involving biologics, pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for preventing and treating key health issues affecting the elderly.   For the purposes of this FOA, T1 translational research on aging is defined as the application of basic and clinical biomedical findings towards the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment of age-related pathologies. For projects proposing basic research that is being conducted in animal models, the potential to treat a clinical age-related pathology must be clearly stated in the proposal.  Direct relevance of the data to a clinical aging condition must be established and clearly stated in the application.

National Science Foundation funding grant "General & Age-Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE)"
"The General & Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program supports research that will lead to the development of new technologies, devices, or software for persons with disabilities.  Research may be supported that is directed to the characterization, restoration, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction of persons with disabilities and their environment.  Areas of particular recent interest are disability-related research in neuroscience/neuroengineering and rehabilitation robotics.  Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering and scientific knowledge and not on incremental improvements.  Proposals should advance discovery or innovation beyond the frontiers of current knowledge in disability-related research.  Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Director Ted Conway at [email protected], or call (703) 292-7091, prior to submitting a proposal."

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The New Investigator Awards in Alzheimer's Disease
"Funded by The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, the major goal of this partnership program is to support important research in areas in which more scientific investigation is needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The program will also serve to encourage junior investigators in the United States and Israel to pursue research and academic careers in the neurosciences, and Alzheimer's disease in particular. Projects in basic and translational research related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) that are clinically relevant, will be considered. Projects that focus on healthy brain aging are also considered. For one of the awards, priority may be given to an investigator with a research interest related to healthy brain aging. Areas of research could for example include learning and memory, nutrition, exercise, cardiovascular risk factors, as they relate to the brain and the aging process. The applicant must be an independent investigator with assigned independent space as assigned by the departmental chair or equivalent official, and must be within the first ten years of receiving a doctoral degree by July 1, 2011. Exceptions to the ten year rule may be requested for unusual circumstances by emailing an NIH-style bio-sketch to AFAR at [email protected] .The proposed research must be conducted at any type of not-for-profit setting in the United States or Israel."

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