|
New Directions: The e-Newsletter of the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative | |
 |
||
 Volume
6, Issue 4
February 5, 2009 Welcome
to New Directions, a publication of the
Please note: New Directions is now published six times per year-January/February, March/April, May/June, September/October, November, and December. In
This Issue
1. Health Care Reform and Geriatric Nursing 2. Funding Opportunities: Scholarships & Fellowships 3. Opportunities, Resources & Tools 4. HCGNE News 5. Announcements 6. Links of the Month: BandwidthOnline.org 1. Health Care Reform and Geriatric Nursing
Health care reform. You can't open a newspaper, turn on the TV, or go online without seeing some mention of it. It is one of the most pressing issues in the United States today. One major piece of recent legislation that seeks to address the crisis is in response to the April 2008 Institute of Medicine report, "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Healthcare Workforce."U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), along with lead U.S. House of Representatives sponsor Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), have introduced legislation to address the impending severe shortage of health care workers who are adequately trained and prepared to care for older Americans. The bill incorporates major recommendations for improving and expanding the skills and preparedness of the health care workforce put forth in the IOM report, including calls for additional research by: For more information on this legislation, visit: www.aging.senate.gov/hearing_detail.cfm?id=306650& You can also learn more about health care reform by visiting a new section of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Web site. The section focuses exclusively on health reform and the work of the Foundation, its grantees, and its partners. The site will be updated regularly with news releases, policy briefs, journal articles, research reports, and the latest publications on what is happening in Washington, DC, and across the country. Subscribe to the health reform RSS feed or sign up to receive e-mail whenever RWJF posts new and important information on the road to reform. 2. Funding Opportunities: Scholarships & Fellowships
Practice Change Fellows Program: Enhancing Leadership in Geriatric Care: 2009 Call For Applications The 2009 award cycle for the Practice Change Fellows program is now open. This program is a two year opportunity for nurses, physicians, and social workers to develop leadership skills and content expertise in order to positively influence care for older adults. Fellows complete a project aimed at implementing a new geriatric program or service line integrated within their organization, allowing them to remain at their full time job throughout the two year program. Applications and eligibility details are available at: www.practicechangefellows.org. The application deadline is April 1, 2009. Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program Applications Due The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is now accepting applications for 2009 fellowships. This national program provides professionals in health and aging with the experience and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans. The program offers two different tracks for individual placement: (1) a residential track that includes a 9-to-12-month placement in Washington, DC (as a legislative assistant in Congress, a professional staff member in an executive agency, or in a policy organization) or at a state agency; and (2) a non-residential track that includes a health policy project and brief placement(s) throughout the year at relevant sites. Core program components focused on career development and professional enrichment are provided for fellows in both tracks. The application deadline is April 15, 2009. For more information, please visit: www.healthandagingpolicy.org or contact the deputy director of the program, Phuong Huynh, at huynhpt@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu or 212-543-6213. 3. Opportunities, Resources & Tools
Geriatric Nursing Faculty Training Opportunity-Only One More Session Left! Join the more than 500 nurse educators nationwide who have already attended a faculty training institute offered by the Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC). Only one faculty training session remains. Administered by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and generously funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, GNEC institutes provide educators with the skills and state-of-the-art resources they need to embed best geriatric nursing practices in senior-level baccalaureate courses. This professional development opportunity brings many benefits: The remaining GNEC institute is scheduled for June 24-26, 2009(Applications are due February 12, 2009), in Philadelphia. The first five GNEC institutes sold out quickly, so don't miss this final opportunity! "The institute was absolutely amazing. The carefully selected speakers were impressive. We are excited to put into action the direction you have given us." -Donna F. Richards, PhD, RN, and Valerie Flattes, RN, GNP, University of Utah, faculty attendees For more information or to apply, see: www.aacn.nche.edu/gnec.htm. NEW Geriatric Nursing Leadership Award The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International has announced its new Geriatric Nursing Leadership Award honoring an emerging nurse leader who demonstrates significant contributions to the health care of older adults. The award will be presented at the honor society's biennial convention, October 31- November 4, 2009. To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member of the honor society (honorary members are eligible); influence geriatric care and outcomes through membership in or leadership of an interprofessional team; influence geriatric health care practices within a clinical setting; improve geriatric health outcomes through leadership and enactment of evidence-based care; and disseminate "lessons learned" in leadership development or geriatric care delivery. Visit stti.awards.confex.com/stti_awards/intl2009/index.html#14 for more information or to apply. The application deadline is March 5, 2009. Summer Scholar Seminar at UAMS The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence, the University of Iowa Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence, and the Gerontological Nursing Intervention Research Center are sponsoring the Gerontological Nursing Research Summer Scholars Seminar, May 18-22, 2009, in Little Rock, AR. This program will be open to 10 nursing faculty. Those selected will be provided with focused, intensive mentoring by internationally recognized gerontological researchers to develop and/or refine a research grant or resubmission. Please contact Sandie Lubin at salubin@uams.edu for more information. The application deadline is March 16, 2009. Hartford Institute Geriatric Nursing Research Scholars Program: Call for Applications The Hartford Institute will be hosting its annual week-long, intensive, summer seminar at New York University, July 13-17, 2009. The seminar is an in-depth mentoring experience with nationally recognized gerontologic nursing researchers. It is open to nurses who have completed an accredited doctoral degree and who wish to hone their research skills and advance their own program of research. The application deadline is April 8, 2009. For more information, visit the Web site: www.hartfordign.org/Research/Scholars_Program, or contact Deborah A. Chyun, PhD, RN, FAAN, at dc116@nyu.edu or 212.998.5264. $78M Now Available For Health Disparity Research The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the Office of Behavioral & Social Sciences (OBSSR) are cosponsoring $78 million in new funding for research into health disparities. The funding is meant to promote research of health inequities with the purpose of contributing directly to improved health outcomes and quality of life for populations with a higher disease burden. The deadline for applications is May 29, 2009. For more information on eligibility and application procedures, go to: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-09-001.html "How To Try This" from the American Journal of Nursing Screening Older Adults for Executive Dysfunction Gary J. Kennedy, MD, and Carole A. Smyth, MSN, ANP-GNP, APRN, BC Studies suggest that executive cognitive dysfunction can more reliably predict loss of autonomy than memory impairment can. Executive cognitive function allows for abstract thought, the planning and taking of actions toward a goal, and adaptation to the unexpected. And because executive function and memory operate in distinct regions of the brain, executive dysfunction can occur even when memory isn't impaired. The detection of executive dysfunction is essential to helping a patient remain as safe and independent as possible. Watch a free video demonstrating best practice for evaluating executive dysfunction in older adults at: links.lww.com/A326. Screening Older Mistreatment of Older Adults Terry Fulmer PhD, RN, FAAN The mistreatment of older adults can take many forms including abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and abandonment. Reporting suspected mistreatment is mandated in most states, but many clinicians have little time or no training in recognizing the indicators and so most cases go unreported. The Elder Assessment Instrument provides a way for nurses to screen older adults for possible mistreatment and can be used in most clinical settings. For a free online video demonstrating the use of this instrument visit: links.lww.com/A321. Resources for Mentors/Mentees Available Online Resources from the National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers, held November 27-28, 2007, are now available online. The HGNI encourages all mentors and mentees to check out the materials available, including videocasts, presentations, and meeting proceedings. For more information and to access these resources, visit: womeninscience.nih.gov/mentoring. New Tools Available Online from the National Center on Caregiving The National Center on Caregiving (NCC) at the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) is pleased to announce that Family Caregiving: Emerging Practices & Tools for Professionals is now available online on FCA's Web site: www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/home.jsp. Family Caregiving: Emerging Practices & Tools for Professionals highlights emerging programs supporting families in their caregiving role and aims to promote the adoption of practices based on research. For more information and to access the Web site, go to: www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/home.jsp. 4.
HCGNE News
Awards & Achievements For more than 30 years, Dr. Archbold has promoted quality nursing care of older adults through research, teaching, administration, and community service nationally and internationally. Dr. Archbold has endeavored to promote the quality of life and healthcare delivery to older adults and their family caregivers, to ensure future leadership and scholarship in gerontological nursing, and to generate enthusiasm for gerontological nursing practice and recognition of gerontological nursing's contributions to the health and well-being of older adults. For more information about NGNA, please visit: www.ngna.org. MSH Lectureship Video Now Available The video of the 2008 Mary Starke Harper Distinguished Lectureship, which took place at the BAGNC Leadership Conference in November, is now available on the BAGNC Web site. Gloria Smith, PhD, RN, FAAN, was the recipient of the award. Watch the video at: www.geriatricnursing.org/leadership/2008/smith-msh-2008.asp. 5. Announcements New Report Outlines Integrated Model of Health Care Developing a model of integrated health care is essential as the U.S. population ages, and mental health care providers can make unique and critical contributions to this paradigm, according to a task force report issued today by the American Psychological Association (APA). "Blueprint for Change: Achieving Integrated Health Care for an Aging Population" outlines the challenges and benefits of building interdisciplinary teams to address the specific health care needs of older people, particularly as the Baby Boom generation ages. The report is the product of a task force launched by Sharon Stephens Brehm, PhD, APA's 2007 president and a professor of psychology at Indiana University. For a copy of the report, go to: www.apa.org/pi/aging/blueprint.html. Save the Date! Information about this year's Gerontological Society of America (GSA) annual meeting, to be held November 18-22, 2009 in Atlanta, GA, will be posted on the GSA Web site in the next several weeks. The theme for the meeting is "Creative Approaches to Healthy Aging." GSA's president, Michèle J. Saunders, DMD, MS, MPH, encourages potential presenters and attendees to use "gerontological imagination" to consider how their work contributes to the concept of healthy aging. Look for more information about the meeting on the GSA Web site: www.geron.org. The submission deadline for workshop proposals will be mid-March 2009. Study Finds Graduate Students Turn Away From Academia in Search of Work/Life Balance A new study published in Academe Online reveals that many graduate students plan to pursue careers teaching or careers outside academia rather than careers in academic research. According to the study, conducted by Mary Ann Mason, Marc Goulden, and Karie Fraschpresent, all at the University of California, graduate students have had negative experiences or witnessed poor work/life balance of their mentors. The study authors conclude that if there is to be a sufficient supply of top quality doctoral researchers to replace current faculty as they retire, academia will have to be reenvisioned to appeal to a new generation of researchers. To read more about the study, go to: www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2009/JF/Feat/maso.htm. 6. Link of the Month: BandwidthOnline.org In this time of great challenges to our nation's health care system, it is critically important that nurses be able to communicate their work and its importance to older adults and the community. The Hartford Foundation's communications Web site, www.BandwidthOnline.org, offers a wealth of resources to its grantees and other geriatrics professionals to assist with a variety of communications activities. From writing and distributing news releases and working with the media to developing powerful presentations and using images and stories effectively, BandwidthOnline.org can help you maximize the impact of your communications. Visit now! Special Note: The majority of the resources on www.BandwidthOnline.org are now available to the public (no password required) with the exception of original photography. We encourage you to check out the site and learn more about how you can enhance your communications! (If you are interested in getting a password please send an email to Chris Gherst at cgherst@aboutscp.com.) 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 Malvina Kluger at malvina.kluger@nyu.edu. Please
Note
If you know of someone or a group of people who would like to receive this newsletter, please send an email to John Beilenson at jbeilenson@aboutscp.com, and we will subscribe them. If you have received this message in error or would like not to receive this newsletter, please reply to this e-mail and type “Delete from New Directions” in the subject line. For more information about the HGNI’s ongoing evaluation, please see: www.geriatricnursing.info. If you have received this newsletter without graphics but would like to receive it with graphics, please write to John Beilenson at jbeilenson@aboutscp.com for instructions on how to view an HTML email, or go to: www.hgni.org. |
||
Copyright 2009 Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI) |