The American Geriatrics Society - News - American Geriatrics Society, With Support from The Atlantic Philanthropies, Awards $1.05 Million In Grants to 7 Researchers Named 2009 Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2009

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Erin Weller
eweller@americangeriatrics.org
212-308-1414

American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging and John A. Hartford Foundation Name Winners of Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards

Chicago, IL - The John A. Hartford Foundation and the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging are pleased to announce the two winners of the 2009 Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards.

This year's winners are Jane Givens, MD, of Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research in Boston, and Daniel Matlock, MD, of the University of Colorado at Denver. The Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards will support Dr. Givens' research examining the mental health burdens facing the estimated 4 million American families who have institutionalized loved ones with end-stage dementia. With support from his Outcomes award, Dr. Matlock will design and test a protocol or "instrument" that will help older adults better decide whether to have defibrillator implants.

Sponsored and funded by the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging and The John A. Hartford Foundation, the health outcomes awards aim to improve the quality and value of care for older adults by supporting research examining how disease, injury, diagnosis, clinical strategies, treatment, health policy, health services utilization, and related factors affect the health, functional status, and health-related quality of life of older people.

At a time when the nation is exploring routes to healthcare reform aimed at addressing growing concerns about the cost and efficacy of care, health outcomes research is essential. Given the rapidly increasing population of older adults in the US, elder healthcare outcomes research must be a top priority.

The Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards - which provide each recipient with $200,000 in salary and research support over the course of two years - go to physician-scientists committed to improving healthcare for older adults while making the critical transition from junior faculty to independent researcher. Since its inception in 2005, the awards program has provided 19 physician researchers with more than $2.5 million in outcomes research support. The program was preceded by a similar grant program, the Pfizer/AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Junior Faculty Program for Research on Health Outcomes in Geriatrics, supported by Pfizer and the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging.

Previous research has found that the relatives of older adults with dementia suffer significant depression, anxiety and grief both before and after their loved ones are admitted to nursing homes. In one of the first detailed studies of its kind, Dr. Givens will examine modifiable factors -- related to the nursing home's processes of care, the nursing home resident, and his or her family -- associated with better mental health among the relatives of these residents.

Once reserved for survivors of cardiac arrest, Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) have since been shown to prevent death in a significant number of patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. Yet ICDs have drawbacks. Among other things, they have been linked to increased heart failure admissions, anxiety, and depression, and can deliver inappropriate shocks. Given the tradeoffs inherent in using an ICD, informed decision making is essential. The ICD decision quality instrument Dr. Matlock will develop and test could significantly improve ICD decision making among elderly and chronically ill patients.

In addition to her Hartford Outcomes award, Dr. Givens has received grants and support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Alzheimer's Association, and the Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA), among other sources. Dr. Matlock has also received research support and funds from the NIH, as well as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars in Aging Research Program and other programs.

For additional information about the Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards, visit http://www.healthinaging.org/hartford/.

ABOUT THE AGS

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research, and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,500 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies, and practices in geriatric medicine.

ABOUT THE FHA

In 1999, the American Geriatrics Society reached beyond its traditional role as a professional medical society and launched the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA). The FHA aims to build a bridge between geriatrics health care professionals and the public, and advocate on behalf of older adults and their special needs: wellness and preventive care, self-responsibility and independence, and connections to family and community. The FHA champions initiatives in public education, clinical research, and public policy that advance the principles and practice of geriatrics medicine; educate policy makers and the public on the health care needs and concerns of older adults; support aging research that reduces disability and frailty, and improves quality of life and health outcomes; encourage older adults to be effective advocates for their own health care; and help family members and caregivers take better care of their older loved ones and themselves.

ABOUT THE JOHN A. HARTFORD FOUNDATION

Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of health care training, research and service system innovations that will ensure the well-being and vitality of older adults. Its overall goal is to increase the nation's capacity to provide effective, affordable care to its rapidly increasing older population. Today, the Foundation is America's leading philanthropy with a sustained interest in aging and health.

Through its grantmaking, the John A. Hartford Foundation seeks specifically to:

Enhance and expand the training of doctors, nurses, social workers and other health professionals who care for elders, and
Promote innovations in the integration and delivery of services for all older people.

Recognizing that its commitment alone is not sufficient to realize the improvements it seeks, the John A. Hartford Foundation invites and encourages innovative partnerships with other funders, as well as public, non-profit and private groups dedicated to improving the health of older adults.