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January 2013

 

 

News


A Qualitative Study to Address How Older Adults Describe Chronic Pain

In BMC Geriatric, a recent study sought to develop methods to help older adults describe and discuss their pain experiences with medical caregivers. The authors argued that"chronic pain is not fully understood from older adults' perspectives; subsequently, pain management in later life is not necessarily based on their priorities or needs." The study consisted of 23 cognitively intact community dwelling older adults who completed individual qualitative and group interview sessions.The authors agreed that, "A qualitative exploration of older adults' accounts of living with chronic pain, focusing on how they describe pain, with a view to informing approaches to its assessment is necessary."

  

Full Story

 

Racial Ethnic Differences in the Frequency of Physical Activity

A published article in the Journal of Aging Health evaluated the "racial/ethnic differences in physical activity among White, Black, and Hispanic adults aged 65 years and older, and assessed the potential role of pain as a mediator." The authors analyzed data collected from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study and found minor associations between race/ethnicity, pain, and physical activity. The authors conclude that pain did not mediate racial/ethnic differences among physically active older adults.

  

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Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms Severity and Emergency Department Use

The journal, BMC Psychiatry, featured a study that examined the relationship between depressive symptom severity and the total number of emergency department (ED) visits among older adults. A 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) was used to measure depressive symptoms among study participants.The authors also administered questionnaires to study participants during 1- week, 12- week, and 24- week follow-up sessions to determine the frequency of ED visits.The authors found that "ED visit rates were much higher than those reported in other studies;" and that, "Better education on self-management of chronic conditions, depression screening by primary care physicians and ED, and depression treatment that includes symptom management and problem-solving skills may be important to reduce ED visits among medically ill, low-income homebound adults."

 

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Castastrophizing as a Mediator Between Pain Intensity and Depressed Mood in Older adults

A study in the Journal of Pain examined the role of catastrophizing in "mediating the relationship between pain intensity and depressed mood in older adults with persistent pain using reliable and valid measures for this population." The authors enrolled 669 pain center patients, age 61 and older, into the study. Study participants completed questionnaires that measured pain intensity, depressed mood, and catastrophizing as part of a clinical assessment process. The authors found that, "the study confirms the mediating role of catastrophizing in the relationship between pain intensity and depressed mood in older adults with persistent pain using psychometrically sound measures. These findings indicate that clinicians should address catastrophizing to improve treatment outcomes with this population."

 

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The Effects of a Modified Walking Program on Balance, Falls and Pain

A recently published study in BMC Geriatric sought to determine if a modified walking program could function as a feasible intervention for fall prevention and pain reductionamong older adults living in long term care facilities.Study participants were assigned to one of 3 groups:"1) Usual Care Group - individuals receive care as usual within their long-term care unit; (2) Interpersonal Interaction Group - individuals receive a comparable amount of one-on-one stationary interpersonal interaction time with study personnel administering the walking program; and, (3) Walking Program Group -- individuals participate in a supervised, progressive walking program five days per week, for up to half an hour per day." The authors also tested grip strength, depression, overall fitness, and pain ratings using assessment tools during the course of the intervention.

 

Full Story 

 

 Upcoming Events

The following list includes upcoming seminars, meetings, and conferences that  focus on aging, pain, or general research methods


January Work-in-Progress Seminar  

TRIPLL will host a WIP seminar on January16, 2013. To attend,  

please email Marcus Warmington at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to participate in future WIPs. 

Movement & Meditation to Ease Chronic Pain
When living with pain, it is easy to find yourself avoiding daily activities, opting to stay still and avoiding unnecessary movement. Unfortunately, not moving your muscles and joints often leads to more pain. Let's get moving! Join us for this gentle class that will utilize the movements of yoga and stretching in addition to breathing awareness and meditation to help ease stiffness, aches and pains.
For more information: www.hss.edu/pped or (212) 606-1613.

The Faculty Development Collaborative Program in Geriatrics

is a training program designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of health professions faculty in inter-professional teaching, leadership, project development and program implementation in geriatrics. This course will prepare health professions faculty from multiple disciplines to utilize contemporary evidence-based educational strategies, inter-professional team approaches, and innovative evaluation processes in teaching collaborative patient- centered care.

  

Council of Senior Centers & Services 24th Annual Conference on Aging, "The Power of Aging: The Intersection of Health and Social Services"  
WHEN: Thursday, January 24, 2013 8:00 - 4:30
WHERE: The CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue, NYC).  
KEYNOTE SESSION:  Eric Coleman, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, Head, Division of Health Care Policy & Research, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Winner of the 2012 MacArthur "Genius" Fellow for his Care Transitions Intervention Model. Dr. Coleman is a leader and an innovator whose Care Transitions model has been adopted nationally and internationally, most notably as essential elements in Medicare's Community �Based Care Transitions Program.
AFTERNOON SESSION:  Titled, "Understanding the New Roles and Opportunities as  Health and Social Service Connect" the panel will feature Lilliam Barrios�Paoli, Commissioner, New York City Department for the Aging; Michael Fosina, MPH, F.A.C.H.E., Vice President and Executive Director, NewYork�Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital; and a Representative from Montefiore Medical Center. The panel will be moderated by Leah Ferster, MSW, Chief Services Officer, JASA and David Pomeranz, Associate Executive Director, The Hebrew Home at Riverdale.
TO REGISTER: To learn about the 15 workshop options and to learn how to register visit the CSCS website:

AAGP 2013 Annual Meeting  

The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) is the only national association that has products, activities and publications, which focus exclusively on the challenges of geriatric psychiatry. Practitioners, researchers, educators, students, the public-anyone interested in improving the mental health of the elderly-have relied on AAGP since 1978 as the key driver for progress for elderly mental health care. Whether you want to advance your career, engage the research community, or shape how science and society treat the elderly, AAGP has the right resources to help you.

LA Live - Marriott,
California
March 14-17, 2012
More Info

Funding Opportunities

 

Pain-Related Funding

 

 

Pain in Aging (R01)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-10-282 

"This FOA encourages Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions/organizations that propose to study pain from an aging perspective, including studies of older populations, studies of age differences and age-related changes in pain processes and experiences, and studies of pain treatment and management in older adults. This FOA particularly encourages studies on 1) mechanisms and predictors of pain experience in aging, 2) development and evaluation of pain assessment tools for older adults or older model organisms, and 3) development and evaluation of pain management strategies in older adults, with particular attention to the challenges associated with treating pain in patients with multiple morbidities. Studies may address a variety of approaches and outcomes including biological (i.e., genetic, molecular, neurobiological), clinical, behavioral, psychological, and social factors.  Both animal models (especially aged animals) and human subjects are appropriate for this FOA."    

 

To Register 

 

Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Grants in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R21)
Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-10-282
"This FOA, issued by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) of the National Institutes of Health, encourages exploratory/developmental clinical research related to the prevention or treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, conditions, and/or injuries. The Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Grants Program is designed to allow initiation of exploratory, short-term clinical studies, so that new ideas may be investigated without stringent requirements for preliminary data. The short-term studies should focus on research questions that are likely to gather critical preliminary data in support of a future, planned clinical trial.  They can include testing new or prevention strategies, a new intervention, or unique combinations of therapies.  A high priority is the use of such studies to help stimulate the translation of promising research developments from the laboratory into clinical practice."

To Register 

 

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.


Translational Research to Help Older Adults Maintain their Health and Independence in the Community (R01)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-11-123

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Administration on Aging (AoA) invite applications using the R01 award mechanism for translational research that moves evidence-based research findings towards the development of new interventions, programs, policies, practices, and tools that can be used by community-based organizations to help elderly individuals remain healthy and independent, and living in their own homes and communities.  The goal of this FOA is to support translational research involving collaborations between academic research centers and community-based organizations with expertise serving the elderly (such as city and state health departments, city/town leadership councils, and Area Agencies on Aging) that will enhance our understanding of practical tools, techniques, programs and policies that communities across the nation can use to more effectively respond to needs of their aging populations.

 

Mechanism Mediating Osteoarthritis in Aging
Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-12-018
"This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) invites applications on research employing genetically defined and modified mouse models, other animal models such as dogs and monkeys or archived human joint tissues to explore the biological mechanisms underlying osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is a significant problem in the elderly population, and a major contributor to mobility limitations that are endemic in this population and, therefore, is an important element in the research missions of NIA and NIAMS. Inflammatory processes are evident in advanced stages of osteoarthritis, and are likely to be major contributors to the chronic pain that is the most common symptom of the condition.  However, for the purpose of this announcement, osteoarthritis is distinguished from other joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which inflammation arising from autoimmunity is the primary cause of tissue damage. The root causes of joint degeneration in osteoarthritis remain unclear. Research efforts in the past have focused primarily on the more advanced stages of osteoarthritis, but relatively little is understood about the initial changes triggering disease etiology and early progression.  This FOA is intended to encourage and accelerate the characterization of new or underutilized models and the testing of hypotheses that will lead to an improved understanding of the mechanisms mediating osteoarthritic progression."

 To Register

Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on Multidisciplinary Studies in HIV/AIDS and Aging (R03)
Notice Number: NOT-AG-12-004
"The National Institute on Aging (NIA) announces a trans-NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on Multidisciplinary Studies in HIV/AIDS and Aging. This FOA will encourage applications proposing to study HIV infection, HIV-associated conditions, HIV treatment, or biobehavioral or social factors associated with HIV/AIDS in the context of aging and/or in older adults. The research areas encouraged in this FOA are based, in part, on the recommendations of the Working Group on HIV and Aging convened by the NIH Office of AIDS Research. These areas include, but are not limited, to the following:
*    Cellular and molecular mechanisms of HIV in aging
*    Biomarkers or clinical indices of HIV-associated pathology
*    HIV-Associated Non-AIDS (HANA) conditions / Co-morbidities
*    HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND)
*    Intervention studies (prevention or treatment)
*    Frailty/Vulnerability
*    Social, behavioral, and mental health studies
The FOA is expected to be published in Spring 2012 with non-standard receipt dates beginning in Summer 2012. Multiple other NIH Institutes and Centers are expected to participate."

Please direct all inquiries to
:
Basil Eldadah, MD, PhD
Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology
National Institute on Aging
7201 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 3C307
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301-496-6761
Email:[email protected]

Network and Infrastructure Support for Development of Interdisciplinary Aging Research (R24)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-12-064
"The purpose of this FOA is to provide network and infrastructure support to foster development of novel interdisciplinary research approaches on important topics in aging research. This FOA will use the NIH Resource-Related Research Project (R24) mechanism to facilitate research networks that will advance specific scientific goals through activities such as meetings, conferences, small scale pilots, short term training opportunities, and visiting scholar programs, and dissemination activities to encourage growth and development in these interdisciplinary areas."

 To Register

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."


 To Register 

 

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."

  

To Register 

 

 

 


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The Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL) is an NIA funded Edward R. Roybal center with a focus on persistent pain due to both cancer and non-cancer related causes. TRIPLL is a collaboration between investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell-Ithaca, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Visiting Nurse Service of New York and Council of Senior Centers & Service of NYC, Inc.

 

For more information on TRIPLL please contact Marcus Warmington at [email protected]