Don’t miss the chance to meet national and international researchers, learn about their studies, and share your feedback on their findings—all at the Annual Meeting.
The Ageing Commons, a research poster event organized and hosted by LeadingAge’s LTSS Center @UMass Boston and the Global Ageing Network, will return to this year’s LeadingAge Annual Meeting. Sponsored by Fountain, the event will bring together researchers, providers, policymakers, and innovators to connect research to real-world practice and to aging services policy.
Visit the conference website to register for the Annual Meeting.
The Ageing Commons will be held in the Annual Meeting Exhibit Hall (booth #7050) on Monday, October 26, and Tuesday, October 27, from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Posters will showcase research across four themes. Panel discussions for each theme will be held Monday and Tuesday from 12:30 to 1 p.m. and from 1:30 to 2 p.m.
Don’t miss this opportunity to browse four poster zones, connect with researchers, and share your feedback on how research can shape the future of aging services.
Here’s a list of featured research posters and lead researchers, along with the dates and times when they will be featured in panel discussions.
Monday, October 26
Long-Term Care Quality and Policy, 12:30-1 p.m.
Maltreatment Complaints as Complementary Quality Metrics in Assisted Living (Tetyana Shippee, University of Minnesota). State licensure inspection surveys are a key source of quality measurement in assisted living, yet substantiated maltreatment complaints may provide more timely information about facility performance. This study examined whether facilities with substantiated complaints differ in their inspection-based quality scores and in facility characteristics.
Policy Intent vs. Reality: Alternative Placement Decisions for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness (Tetyana Shippee, University of Minnesota). Adults with serious mental illness are increasingly being admitted to nursing homes, raising concerns about whether community-based alternatives are meaningfully considered, as required by federal law and monitored by the Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) program. This study examined PASRR program activities and patterns in Minnesota.
The Cost of Discrimination in Health Care: Evidence from Medicare Spending Among Older Adults (Claire Wickersham, University of Massachusetts Boston). Healthcare discrimination may undermine access, continuity, and trust and increase reliance on costly acute care. This study examined the healthcare discrimination older adults experienced, its estimated prevalence, its association with Medicare spending, and its national economic burden.
Health Equity and Innovation in Care, 1:30-2 p.m.
Understanding the Patient Experience of Discrimination in Health Care (Claire Wickersham, University of Massachusetts Boston). Discrimination in health care remains a persistent barrier to equitable access, quality, and trust. This qualitative study examined how and why adults experience discrimination from physicians, hospitals, and other health care professionals; how those encounters shape subsequent care-seeking; and which strategies patients believe could reduce discrimination.
Evaluation of a Comprehensive Wellness Program for Residents in Affordable Housing Communities (Brittany McFeeley, University of Massachusetts Boston & LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston). The LivWell Wellness Program, a physical activity and whole-person wellness model, offers fitness classes, brain health activities, and health education to residents of affordable housing communities. This evaluation assessed the program’s reach and its impact on residents’ health and wellness outcomes.
SeniorShield.AI: A Pilot Digital Scam Intervention Study for Older Adults in Residential Living (Francesca Falzarano, University of Southern California). Fraud against older adults has risen sharply and is linked to erosion of an older person’s sense of independence, poorer well-being, anxiety, and depression. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of SeniorShield.AI, a fraud-prevention mobile platform, among residents of senior living settings.
Tuesday, October 27
Ageing Services Workforce, 12:30-1 p.m.
A Scalable Community-Based Model for Immigrant Integration into the Long-Term Care Workforce (Iryna Petrus, Ukrainian American Community Center, Minneapolis). The growing demand for long-term services and supports (LTSS) in the United States has intensified workforce shortages, particularly in direct care roles. This study evaluated employment outcomes, retention, participant well-being, and employer satisfaction for a community-based intervention that established structured pathways for Ukrainian newcomers to enter the LTSS workforce.
Addressing Ageism in Residential Care: An Evidence-Based Training Intervention for Professionals (Carmen Orte Socias, University of Balearic Islands). Ageism remains a pervasive and often normalized form of discrimination in residential care settings, undermining care quality and older adults’ well-being. This poster outlines the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program to prevent and address ageism in public residential care settings in Mallorca, Spain.
Do Wraparound Supports Matter? Findings from an Evaluation of a Direct Care Workforce Training Program (Natasha Bryant, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston). This study used data from the evaluation of a California-based workforce development initiative to assess the use and perceived helpfulness of wraparound supports in direct care worker training programs and to examine how the number and types of these supports relate to participants’ perceived preparedness for the state licensing exam.
Dementia and Mental Health, 1:30-2 p.m.
Making Pain Visible: The Results of the PainChek U.S. Nursing Home Study for People Living with Dementia (Kimberly Bergen-Jackson, University of Iowa). Traditional tools for accurately recognizing and treating pain in residents living with dementia rely on subjective interpretation, leading to avoidable discomfort, diminished quality of life, and increased care needs. This study evaluated how a technology-enabled alternative, PainChek®, performs compared with a more subjective tool commonly used in Australia.
Melody Makers: Multi-Modal Music Experience for People with Cognitive Change (Catherine Tompkins, George Mason University). The Encore Melody Makers program aims to improve the quality of life for individuals living with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This study evaluated the program’s effectiveness in shaping the behaviors and attitudes of older adults living with ADRD across two assisted living communities.
Implementing a Behavioral Activation Intervention for Depression in VA Nursing Homes (Whitney Mills, University of Massachusetts Boston). The Behavioral Activation Intervention (BE-ACTIV) is co-led by a mental health provider and recreation staff to reduce depression by promoting engagement in pleasant activities. This research evaluated the program’s effectiveness through a pilot test at five Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Living Centers nationwide.