HIGN Update

Dear Friends,

How swiftly time passes. We are now in the last month of this summer season, and I hope many of you are taking the time to enjoy these final weeks. I thought this would be a good opportunity to update you on some of the transitions and happenings at HIGN/NYU Meyers. As many of you know, Dean Eileen Sullivan-Marx retired effective August 1st after eleven very busy and successful years at NYU Meyers. Dean Angela Amar arrived on August 1st and is spending this month meeting individually with all faculty and staff and showing her dedication to continuing the excellence which characterizes the College. HIGN is grateful to Dean Sullivan-Marx for her support over the past years, and we look forward to working closely with Dean Amar as we strategize and further strengthen our position as a leader in the field of geriatrics and gerontology.

As you may recall, HIGN was the benefactor of a very generous $1M gift from the J. R. Paul Trust. Jay, who had been a dear friend of mine, bequeathed this legacy gift to provide a foundation for the next leg of HIGN's journey. This endowment provides $500K for scholarships for two students each year who are chosen as HIGN Scholars. The other $500K will be used to support the ongoing work of HIGN. In order for us to strategize and prioritize our work to address the future as best possible, we have formed The J.Paul Advisory Council of HIGN. The inaugural members of this committee are Alice Bonner, Senior Advisor for Aging at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and former Director of the Division of Nursing Homes at CMS, Jane Carmody, Senior Program Officer, The John A. Hartford Foundation, Jenni Chin-Hanson, the immediate past CEO of the American Geriatrics Society and former President of AARP, Marianne Shaughnessy, Director, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center Programs, Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, Veterans Health Administration, and Angela Amar, Dean and Erline Perkins McGriff Professor, NYU Meyers College of Nursing. I will co-chair the council with Ab Brody, Associate Director of HIGN.

I wish you all a happy and safe end of summer.

Best Wishes,

Tara A. Cortes, PhD, RN, FAAN

Calling for a Trauma-Aware Culture in Long-Term Care

Prof. Kelseanne Breder authored an article Calling for a Trauma-Aware Culture in Long-Term Care. Prof. Breder outlines four strategies for improving trauma awareness among staff and administrators:

Upon intake, all clients should be carefully screened for trauma history
LTC administrators must reestablish physical and emotional safety
LTC staff and administrators must prioritize trust and rapport with clients who have a history of trauma
Trauma survivors must be empowered through their treatment.

Click here to read the full article.

The Aliviado program is part of HIGN. The Aliviado team is excited to announce a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance dementia care for seriously ill older adults. In partnership with National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation and Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) we at Aliviado are thrilled to share the Dementia Care Patient & Caregiver Resource Guide, a go-to place for caregiving needs that incorporates best practices from the Aliviado Dementia Care Program. This brings out the best of academic-practice partnership to improve care for seriously ill older adults.

Click here for a free copy of the Dementia Care Resource guide.

The Aliviado Team bids farewell and well wishes to Dr. Rebecca Lassell on her new position as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health & Wellness Design in the School of Public Health at Indiana University. As she embarks on this new journey, we have no doubt that she will continue to shine and help improve the lives of persons living with dementia.

HIGN Leadership Series

Growth as a leader is a continuous journey. The HIGN Leadership Series will enable people to build on their experiences and enhance their ability to use strategy and innovation to lead in a continually changing healthcare environment. As healthcare organizations face higher turnover and a limited pipeline of workers, establishing a culture that values respect, diversity, and community is more important than ever. Nursing Continuing Professional Development credits are available for each course.

Courses:

Click here to learn more.

HIGN Highlights

Dr. Squires' and her NYU Meyer's team's study A multiple-language qualitative study of limited English proficiency patient experiences in the United States included 71 individuals who indicated that they preferred to communicate in their first language (Spanish, Russian, Korean, Mandarin, or Cantonese) rather than English. The participants were largely older adults receiving home health care services and they spoke about their experiences across the health system when trying to access care when a language barrier between themselves and a healthcare provider was present. Their insights helped illustrate where system failures can occur as well as what best practices are for working with persons who prefer to communicate in another language. Since language access is a Civil Right guaranteed by federal law, the findings can help providers and administrators serving persons, including older adults, who cannot communicate in English at "safe" levels during a healthcare encounter.

Prof. Jasmine Travers has received a notice of award for her R01 grant titled, "The Paycheck Protection Program and its Effects on Staffing Patterns and the Outcomes of Residents Living with Dementia"

Prof. Fidel Lim wrote an editorial titled "Machine-Generated Writing and Chatbots: Nursing Education's Fear of the Unknown" in the July 2023 issue of the NLN's Nursing Education Perspectives journal. Prof. Lim also authored an essay A Staff Nurse's AI Wish List published in the ANA's American Nurse journal.

Profs. Selena Gillis and Donna McCabe are receiving the following recognition from the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE): Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing. The recognition will be presented at the NHCGNE Annual Conference to be held virtually, October 24-26, 2023. Information about the conference is available here.