Recent Research, Funding Opportunities & More from TRIPLL

In This Issue

June 2014

Updates from TRIPLL!

The Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL) is an NIH funded Edward R. Roybal Center. Our eNewsletter features recent news, events, and funding opportunities related to pain and aging. In this issue we highlight studies that address sleep difficulty among older African American Adults with with pain, the relationship between pain prevalence and falls among older adults, and Tai Chi interventions for ethnically diverse older adults with arthritis; as well as upcoming events and recent pain and aging related funding opportunities.

News and Recent Research

The following section features recent news and research studies

Self-Reported Pain and Sleep Difficulty in African American Older Adults

Courtesy of www.tripll.org

The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing examined the "behavioral and clinical indicators of sleep difficulty among older African Americans diagnosed with arthritis." The authors enrolled 193 African American older adults who completed a questionnaire that assessed their health, pain symptoms, and sleep patterns. The authors found a significant relationship between increased pain reports and decreased sleep among older adults with arthritis.

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Tai Intervention for Improving Pain among Ethnically Diverse Older Adults

The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy evaluated the effectiveness of a Tai Chi (TC) exercise program in improving health and relieving pain symptoms among ethnically diverse older adults. The authors developed a 16-week Tai Chi program for older adults in which "participants were encouraged to attend 2 moderate-intensity TC sessions per week for a total of 120 minutes." The authors conclude that "participating in TC for 16 weeks led to significant improvements in functional fitness and components of physical and mental health among older adults with self-reported arthritis."

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Pain Associated with Falls among Older Adults

Courtesy of www.ageconcerns.com

The authors of a recent study published in Pain Medicine examined the relationship between pain prevalence and recurrent falls among community dwelling older adults. The authors searched major electronic databases for relevant research articles, and selected publications that 1) involved community-dwelling older adults; 2) recorded recurrent falls; and 3) assessed pain. Of the 11 research articles that met the inclusion criteria, 7 concluded that "older adults with pain are at particularly increased risk of recurrent falls," and that "clinicians working with recurrent fallers should routinely assess pain while pain specialists should inquire about older adults' falls history."

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Falls and Fall Injuries among Older Adults with Arthritis

A recent study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report featured an evaluation of the prevalence of fall injuries among older adults with arthritis. In order to "examine the prevalence of falls among older adults with arthritis in different states/territories, the authors analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System." The authors conclude that "major consequences of falls among older adults include hip fractures, brain injuries, decline in functional abilities, and reductions in social and physical activities."

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Click here for more pain and aging related news.

Upcoming Events

The following section includes upcoming seminars, meetings, wellness courses, and conferences that focus on aging, pain, or research methods

TRIPLL's June Work-in-Progress Seminar

TRIPLL will host a Work in Progress (WIP) seminar on June 18, 2014 from 12:00PM -1:00PM EST. The WIP is an open forum designed to improve the research proposals of junior and senior researchers, faculty, and health care professionals. Contact Marcus Warmington at [email protected] with questions or to register.

Click here for more information.

TRIPLL's June 2014 Webinar

Cary Reid, MD, PhD; Director of TRIPLL, Irving Sherwood Wright Associate Professor and Director of the Office of Geriatric Research in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College will make a presentation titled "Treating Chronic Refractory Pain in Older Adults: What are the issues?" on June 18th from 3:00PM-4:00PM EST.

Click here for more information.

The following Wellness Course is for Community Dwelling Older Adults

Tai Chi Chih for Older Adults

Courtesy of www.raygates.com

These simple, rhythmic movements provide benefits including improved balance, strength, flexibility and maintenance of bone mass. Health organizations, including the Arthritis Foundation, advise T'ai Chi for pain relief for older adults with arthritis. This course involves a 1-hour program that provides information and tips on exercise, diet, types of medications, and alternative therapies. All attendees receive a free "Walk with Ease" book.

Click here to register or call 212-606-1613.

Click here for more pain and aging related events.

Funding Opportunities

Recent pain and aging related funding for health care professionals, senior academic researchers, and junior faculty

Recent Pain and Aging Related Funding

Plasticity and Mechanisms of Cognitive Remediation in Older Adults (R01)
Funder: NIH

Funding Amount: TBD

Due Date: Rolling Acceptance

Overview: This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits R01 grant applications from applicant organizations that propose to develop and implement interventions to remediate age-related cognitive decline. A crucial feature of these applications will be the embedding of the testing of the proposed intervention into a measurement framework that will: 1) help elucidate its mechanism of action; 2) identify specific individuals who are more likely or less likely to benefit from the intervention, and 3) examine whether adaptive plastic changes have occurred in the structure or function of the CNS as a result of the intervention, and whether these neural changes help explain the pattern of improvement seen in cognitive functioning.

Click here for more information.

International Roundtable to Advance Physician Leadership on Overuse

Funder: The Commonwealth Fund

Funding Amount: $ 50,000

Due Date: July 1, 2014

Overview: The Fund supports independent research on health and social issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy. We are dedicated to helping people become more informed about their health care and improving care for vulnerable populations particularly low-income families, uninsured, and minority older adults.

Click here for more information

Glenn/AFAR Scholarships for Research in the Biology of Aging

Funder: American Federation for Aging Research

Funding Amount:TBD

Due Date: January 15, 2015

Overview: Up to ten scholarships will be awarded in 2014. They will enable PhD, MD, and DO candidates at any level to undertake a three-to-six-month research project on a subject related to the basic sciences and aging. Students are encouraged to make their proposals as focused as possible, and the strongest projects are those that focus on a particular subject area. Clinical, epidemiology, health services, and outcome projects will not be considered.

Click here for more information.

Click here for a list of ongoing pain and aging related funding announcements.

We welcome your feedback about what you would like include in future eNewsletters.

Email suggestions and news items to [email protected]

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 & Services of NYC, Inc.