HGNI New Directions

Welcome to New Directions, a publication of the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI). This e-newsletter is designed to inform interested academic and practice leaders, faculty members, students, practitioners, and others about the work of the HGNI and provide the latest news and information relevant to geriatric nursing.

In This Issue

1. May is Older Americans Month
2. AACN Faculty Training: Enhancing Gerontology Content in Baccalaureate Courses
3. Opportunities, Resources & Tools
4. Announcements
5. Link of the Month: Trends in Health and Aging

1. May is Older Americans Month

The theme for Older Americans Month this year is "Older Americans: Making Choices for a Healthier Future," which encourages us to think differently about health and long-term care and work together to rebalance and modernize our current systems so that we may adequately plan for and address the needs of current and future generations. To learn about the history of Older Americans Month and access resources related to this year's activities, visit: www.aoa.gov/pres/oam/oam.asp.

2. AACN Faculty Training: Enhancing Gerontology Content in Baccalaureate Courses

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is now accepting online applications for the upcoming Faculty Development Institutes offered through the Foundation-funded Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC). GNEC is an innovative national initiative to enhance geriatric content in senior-level baccalaureate courses. Administered by AACN, this program provides nursing educators with the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to ensure that the "best geriatric practices" are imbedded in baccalaureate curricula and subsequently in the clinical care provided by newly educated nurses. Using a "train-the-trainer" approach, nurse faculty attending the GNEC institutes are expected to serve as leaders and mentors by sharing their new expertise with colleagues. Institutes are scheduled for October 3-5, 2007, in Atlanta, GA; February 27-29, 2008, in San Antonio, TX; and October 8-10, 2008, in St. Louis, MO. The application deadline for the Atlanta institute is June 15, 2007. For more information or to apply, visit: www.aacn.nche.edu/gnec.htm.

3. Opportunities, Resources & Tools

2007 Gerotological Nursing Education Faculty Award Applications Now Available
AACN, in collaboration with The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is pleased to announce four NEW award categories for the 2007 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Gerontological Nursing Education. The awards, which are now open to both graduate and undergraduate faculty, are: Baccalaureate-Level Curricular Innovation; Advanced-Practice-Level Curricular Innovation; Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion; Outstanding School of Nursing Communications. Applications, which must be postmarked by July 15, 2007, can be dowloaded from the AACN web site.

John A. Hartford Foundation/American Association of Colleges of Nursing Networking Event Scheduled
All John A. Hartford Foundation/American Association of Colleges of Nursing GAPN Creating Careers scholarship graduates are invited to a Hartford graduate networking event. It will take place in conjunction with the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners' 2007 annual meeting on Thursday, September 13th, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. Titled "Successful Strategies: Overcoming Challenges in the Workplace," it will host a speaker who will focus on marketing and negotiating the GNP role, followed by small group interaction. Please call Debbie Latimer at AACN (202.463.6930 x. 241) if you are interested in this session and/or if you need more information.

NIH Launches Program for Innovative New Investigators
The National Institutes of Health has launched a special program to fund new investigators who propose highly innovative research projects that could have an exceptionally great impact on biomedical or behavioral science. The NIH Director's New Innovator Award offers grants of up to $1.5 million in direct costs over five years.

The application period opens on April 25 and closes on May 22, 2007. NIH expects to make at least 14 awards in September 2007.

New investigators who have not yet obtained an NIH R01 or similar grant are eligible to apply. Applicants must hold an independent research position at an institution in the United States and must have received a doctoral degree or completed a medical internship and residency in 1997 or later.

Application instructions are at: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-07-009.html.

More information on the NIH Director's New Innovator Award is at: grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/innovator_award.

ANF Nursing Research Grant Program Application Available Online Only
The American Nurses Foundation (ANF) Nursing Research Grants Program application is now available online only. This program provides funds to beginner and experienced nurse researchers to conduct studies that contribute toward the advancement of nursing science and the enhancement of patient care. Awards are given in all areas of nursing, including patient outcomes, healthcare policy development, critical care, gerontology, women's health, community and family intervention. The 2007 deadline is May 15. Additional information and application forms can be accessed at ANF's Nursing research grants program page.

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Try This! Assessment Series from The Hartford Institute
Fulmer SPICES: An Overall Assessment Tool for Older Adults
Fulmer SPICES, developed by Terry Fulmer, PhD, APRN, FAAN, at New York University College of Nursing, is an efficient and effective instrument for obtaining the information necessary to prevent health alterations in the older adult patient. SPICES is an acronym for the common syndromes of the elderly requiring nursing intervention: sleep disorders; problems with eating or feeding; incontinence; confusion; evidence of falls; and skin breakdown. For more information on this topic or to read additional issues of the Hartford Institute Try This series, visit: www.hartfordign.org/publications/trythis/issue23.pdf.

Coming Soon! Try This in Spanish!

Release of 2004 National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS) Medication Data The Division of Health Care Statistics (DHCS) of the National Center for Health Statistics has announced the Internet release of the 2004 NNHS Prescribed Medications Public-use File (SAS and ASCII) and its documentation.

To view or download the 2004 NNHS Prescribed Medications Public-use File and its documentation, please visit the NNHS web site. Under "What's New," you can access the medication documentation by clicking on Long-term Care Drug Database System. The documentation includes four PDF files: technical notes, a data dictionary, and two files that provide drug name codes, drug estimates and rates, and drug characteristics. To access the public-use files, return to the first page and scroll down to the heading Public-use Data Files (micro-data) and the subheading "Downloadable data files via ftp." Click on 2004 to find the SAS_Data folder and the Text_ASCII folder that hold the medication files and the input statements for SAS, STATA, and SPSS users.

NIH Seeking Proposals for Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities
The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, in collaboration with several NIH Institutes/Centers and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), plans to issue two Program Announcements with Review (PARs) using R01 and R21 funding mechanisms in early June 2007 and with an earliest start date in July 2008. The announcements will remain active for three years with receipts in September of 2007, 2008, and 2009.

The purpose of these announcements is to encourage behavioral and social science research into the causes and solutions to health disparities in the U. S. population. Health disparities between, on the one hand, racial/ethnic populations, lower socioeconomic classes, and rural residents, and on the other hand, the overall U.S. population are major public health concerns. Emphasis is placed on research in and among three broad areas of action: 1) public policy, 2) healthcare, and 3) disease/disability prevention. Particular attention is given to reducing “health gaps” among groups. Proposals that utilize an interdisciplinary approach, investigate multiple levels of analysis, incorporate a life-course perspective, and/or employ innovative methods such as system science or community-based participatory research are particularly encouraged. For more information, visit: obssr.od.nih.gov/HealthDisparities/index.html or contact:

Ronald P. Abeles, PhD
Special Assistant to the Director
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive MSC 2027
Bldg. 31, Rm. B1C19
Bethesda, MD 20892-2027
Phone: 301.496.7859
Fax: 301.435.8779
E-mail: abeles@nih.gov

Job Opportunity
The University of Southern California is seeking to fill two tenure track positions: assistant/associate/full professor rank (Appointment level based on qualifications; this is a state-funded position.) Minimum criteria include doctoral degree in nursing or related field with experience in teaching and research in gerontological nursing, and licensed or eligible for licensure in the State of California. For detailed criteria and contact information, please see: nurseweb.ucsf.edu

4. Announcements

Elaine Gould Retiring from the Hartford Institute
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing announces that Elaine Gould will be stepping down from her position as director for programs as of June 15, 2007. Elaine has held her position since the inception of the Hartford Institute in 1996 and has been instrumental in its activities. Her next endeavors include developing consulting work related to aging issues for both professionals and lay people. We are sorry to see her leave us but look forward to a continued relationship as colleagues in the field. The Hartford Institute is delighted to announce that Malvina Kluger, who has also been with the Institute since its inception, will assume the position of Senior Administrator.

Announcing the Practice Change Fellows Program: Enhancing Leadership in Geriatric Care
The Practice Change Fellows program develops leadership capacity in healthcare professionals who have operational responsibility for aging-related program or geriatric service lines. Up to ten Practice Change Fellows are selected through a national competition. Selected Fellows receive $90,000 over the two-year program and work with accomplished national mentors to design, implement, and evaluate a new project. Nurses, physicians, and social workers are eligible to apply. The application process for the 2007 PCF class is closed and final selections will be announced on May 16, 2007. Application materials for the 2008 cycle will be available in the winter of 2007. More details are available at www.practicechangefellows.org. This program is funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies, administered by the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, in partnership with the National Council on Aging.

Creating Careers Grant Innovations Showcased on AACN Website
Creating Careers grant innovations are now being showcased on the AACN’s geriatric nursing education Website. They will be showcased in three sections, the first of which is the development of community partnerships. In a “lessons learned” format, it discusses how quality community partnerships provide optimal learning through demonstration of best practices; engage students in gerontological nursing leadership activities; attract new students to the field; and encourage an exchange of resources and services between school and partner. AACN hopes that nursing faculty will use this material as a resource for replication/development of their own gerontological advanced-practice programs. To learn more, visit: www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/Partnerships.html

The Hartford Institute and AJN Receive $2.6 Million Grant for Try This Videos
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing, in collaboration with the American Journal of Nursing, has been awarded a $2,622,560 grant from The John A. Hartford Foundation to produce and distribute demonstration videos and a companion series of journal articles for teaching nurses the use of geriatric health assessment tools. Terra Nova Films will partner with AJN to produce the videos.

The project will translate and disseminate the highly accessible Try This toolbox of geriatric assessment tools, created by The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, into 30 web-based, no-cost demonstration videos and articles for faculty, students, and graduates. The tool box provides knowledge of best practices in the care of older adults in a way that is easy to understand and implement by all direct-care nurses. Using actual nurses and actor patients, the new video materials will demonstrate how geriatric assessments should be conducted, interpreted, and communicated to plan the care for an older adult. Accompanying these videos will be a complementary series of continuing-education articles, published in the AJN, that will provide case studies and supporting information about the use of each assessment tool and will be available on line to read or download.

Articles and videos from the Try This toolbox series will be available for viewing and downloading at no cost, at www.AJNonline.com, www.HartfordIGN.org, www.GeroNurseOnline.org, and www.NursingCenter.com.

BAGNC Scholar & Fellow News
Fang Yu, 2004-2006 John A. Hartford Foundation BAGNC Fellow and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, recently received a three-year K12/Career Advancement Award from the National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on promoting cognition and function through exercise in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease.

Anna Beeber, 2005-2007 John A. Hartford Foundation BAGNC Fellow, recently accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position at University of North Carolina.

Judy Jacoby, 2004-2006 John A. Hartford Foundation Predoctoral Scholar, received the 2007 Lynn Reyer Award for Tribal Community Development in support of her research.

Congratulations!

Two Geriatric Nursing Articles Feature Hartford Institute Work
The March 2007 issue of Geriatric Nursing includes two articles that highlight work of the Hartford Institute and its scholars. The first is by Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, Geriatric Nursing editor and representative of the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners (NCGNP), a member of the Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations created in 2001 by the Hartford Institute. The editorial, “A Call to All Nurses Working in Geriatrics: Make 2007 A Great Year by Joining the Campaign: Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes” can be accessed for free here.

The second article, “Assisted Living Nursing Practice: Medication Management: Part 1 Assessing the Resident for Self-Medication Ability” is by Ethel Mitty, EdD, RN, an adjunct clinical professor of nursing at the NYU College of Nursing, and Sandi Flores, RN, C, executive director, American Assisted Living Nurses Association, and education director of Community Education LLC. The article can be accessed via subscription to Geriatric Nursing’s online content.

5. Link of the Month: Trends in Health and Aging

The Trends in Health and Aging Web site (www.cdc.gov/nchs/agingact.htm) is a comprehensive source of information from the Centers for Disease Control about the health status, health behaviors, health insurance coverage, healthcare expenditures, and the use of health services by the aging population in the U.S. It is maintained by NCHS and is supported by the National Institute of Aging of the National Institutes of Health.

A new Aging Trends report, "Trends in Health Status and Health Care Use Among Older Women," is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/aging/research_publications.htm

In addition, tables from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS) can be found by typing NNHS in the Search Tables window on the Trends in Health and Aging web-site (www.cdc.gov/nchs/agingact.htm).

Write to Us

We are committed to creating a monthly publication that serves your needs and interests. New Directions, therefore, welcomes your feedback and encourages you to supply ideas, stories, resources, news, and other content for subsequent issues. To make a contribution, please contact Pamela Dudzik at: pdudzik@aannet.org, Debbie Latimer at dlatimer@aacn.nche.edu, or Elaine Gould at elaine.gould@nyu.edu.

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