Research & Consulting Projects in UIndy's Center for Aging & Community
The University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community is engaged in a variety of research and consulting projects for clients that include government agencies, for-profit organizations, and non-profit organizations. Though the focus and expertise of each project varies, the underlying goal is to improve the quality of life for people as they age.
For more information about CAC's experience and capacity, please contact Executive Director, Emily Tisdale, M.Ed., at tisdalee@uindy.edu.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Client: netlogx, LLC
- No Wrong Door ensures those who need them can access services from various points of entry through FSSA.
- Served as a subcontractor to netlogx, LLC on a contract from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to provide Hoosiers (children to older adults and those with disabilities) with access to and information about long-term services and supports that are available to them.
- Worked with netlogx to engage stakeholders across Indiana to gather input on the strengths, challenges, gaps, and opportunities within the system.
- Conducted focus groups, town hall meetings, and a survey
- Client: Sage Squirrels, LLC
- Serve as a subcontractor on an Ohio Department of Aging contract to work with a governor-appointed Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Task Force
- Provide stakeholder engagement support of both the Task Force and the general Ohio population through Task Force meetings and public listening sessions
- Provide project and writing support for first a Findings Report related to the work of the Task Force and a Recommendations Report based on stakeholder engagement input and research into best practices for serving those with Alzheimer's and related dementias and those who care for them.
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Contracted by the Indiana Department of Health to work on its implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Project Firstline
- Developed and implemented a learning needs assessment for frontline healthcare workers on topics related to infection prevention in general and COVID-19 specifically
- Gathered stakeholder input through a survey and four virtual town hall meetings
- Analyzed gathered input to make recommendations for learning needs related to infection prevention and COVID-19
- Client: Indiana Division of Aging
- Contracted in 2018 for the 2019-2022 plan and again in 2022 for the 2023-2026 plan
- Designed a stakeholder engagement process to gather input on the Indiana State Plan on Aging including recruitment, communications, and stakeholder engagement activities
- Hosted multiple in-person and virtual listening sessions across the state
- Received written feedback from organizations and individuals
- Analyzed qualitative data and reported findings and recommended additions and edits to the Plan based on stakeholder input
Program Evaluation
- Client: Indiana University School of Medicine
- 36-month venture to enhance, strengthen and expand supports for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers in 34 Indiana counties
- Supported by a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services
- ADPI will serve 1,000 individuals who are eligible for nursing home care, yet are living in the community aided by Medicaid in-home services and supports. In particular, people with ADRD who live alone or are aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome, will receive support. In addition, the ADPI will provide training in dementia care to 500 personal care workers.
- CAC’s role in ADPI is to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the project, which builds upon existing home and community-based social supports to maximize the ability of people with ADRD to remain independent in their communities.
- Client: Minnesota Department of Human Services, Aging & Adult Service Division
- Developed and obtained client approval of a research plan and an accompanying work plan that lays out the framework for investigating and answering five research questions regarding the "spend down" trajectory of individuals becoming eligible for Medicaid
- Conducted a literature review, asset mapping, and national scan of other states' spend down trajectories and related policies
- Conducted analysis of currently available data
- Conducted surveys of individuals, families, and providers regarding spend down toward Medicaid eligibility
- Made recommendations for policy and system changes that would help extend older Minnesotans’ private resources available to help meet their needs in the community and incentivize in-home service arrangements as compared to residential service arrangements
- Partners in this project include Sage Squirrels, LLC and Justin Blackburn, PhD of IUPUI Fairbanks School of Public Health
- CAC and our partners presented results of this project at the 2021 ADvancing States Home and Community-Based Conference.
- Client: CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions
- Developed an organizational evaluation plan
- Providing plan implementation in collaboration with CICOA to assess overall programmatic function and progress toward organizational goals
- Implement a continuous quality improvement approach, including quantitative and qualitative data, that will allow CICOA to make program adjustments as needed.
- Provide guidance to CICOA staff regarding data collection
- Provide data analysis and visualization to identify gaps and opportunities revealed by the evaluation plan
- Client: Community Health Network
- Funding provided by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to transform the delivery of primary care through enhanced undergraduate nursing education and redefined nursing practice in the primary care setting
- Work in collaboration with the University of Indianapolis School of Nursing
- Provide evaluation services and fiscal monitoring of the contract
- Client: Indiana Family & Social Services Administration
- Worked with the Indiana State Office of Adult Protective Services (APS), 18 regional APS units, and the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney's Council to provide recommendations on the maximum and ideal caseloads for APS investigators, depending on geographical region
- Interviewed current APS staff (directors, investigators, intake staff) to determine job tasks and the amount of time each job task requires
- Analyzed regional variations that impact job responsibilities and amount of time needed to complete responsibilities
Implemented customer satisfaction surveys to support a joint study between NeuroHope and the University of Indianapolis Krannert School of Physical Therapy
- Client: Central Indiana Senior Fund
- Provided primary and secondary research to determine the availability of and obstacles to nutrition and meals (home-based and community-based) for older adults in Central Indiana
- Made recommendations for next steps
- Led a six-month collaborative effort of Central Indiana meal providers and other stakeholders designed to highlight places of overlap and create solutions to service gaps
Quality Improvement
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Designed, implemented, and evaluated the RFP process for selection of regional collaboratives in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Health.
- Provided overall management and technical assistance to nine regional collaboratives, comprised of 20 or more long-term care facilities, for the purpose of improving quality of care in long term care facilities.
- Collaboratives addressed the following quality improvement issues:
- Improving antibiotic stewardship
- Reducing use of antipsychotic medication
- Reducing challenging behaviors
- Improving CNA staffing
- Reducing falls
- Reducing incontinence
- Reducing healthcare-associated infection related hospitalizations
- Reducing pneumonia
- Reducing urinary tract infections
- Improving need for assistance with activities of daily living
- Reducing polypharmacy
- Improving person-centered care
- Over the course of the four years of the project, $3,062,301.06 in savings was identified due to these projects' prevention of anticipated negative health outcomes.
- Received an Association for Health Facility Survey Agencies "Promising Practices" award in 2016
- Get more information and to access the Regional Collaboration for Quality Improvement in Long Term Care toolkit
- Client: Tennessee Department of Health
- Modeled after the Indiana Regional Collaboratives project
- Developed five Regional Healthcare Quality Improvement Collaboratives across Tennessee to bring together Tennessee nursing facilities for quality improvement in long term care.
- The Collaboratives addressed the following quality improvement issues:
- Reduction of sepsis occurrences through early detection
- Reduction of urinary tract infections
- Reduction of rates of COVID-19
- Reduction of hospital readmission due to respiratory infections
- Provided technical assistance to Collaboratives to recruit member LTC facilities, facilitate development of facility QAPI plans, and facilitate two group process improvement projects.
- Client: Indiana Division of Aging
- Collaborated with the Division of Aging to develop a process of internal quality improvement
- Evaluated functions and processes related to how the Division interacted with the statewide Area Agencies on Aging
- Began predictive data analysis to identify indicators for risk of nursing home placement
- Assisted the Division with organizing, managing, using, and visualizing data
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Surveyed more than 500 long-term care (LTC) facilities in Indiana regarding turnover experiences and rates, as well as training efforts and needs
- Looked at turnover in the following categories: CNA/QMA, LPN, RN, Director of Nursing, and Facility Administrator
- Found that Indiana LTC facilities experienced higher rates of turnover than other states, despite administrator-reported retention efforts
- Made recommendations for future cost-effective and retention-effective steps
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To receive a copy of the report, please email cac@uindy.edu.
Education & Training
- Client: Indiana State Department of Health
- Developed and implemented a three-part effort for the prevention of abuse and neglect in long term care
- Offered both a one-day, face-to-face and an educational program for LTC staff on best practices for prevention of abuse and neglect
- Developed an online module detailing current regulations for reporting suspicion of a crime against a resident
- Developed a series of online training videos for best practices related to 10 distinct regulations related to abuse and neglect
- Client: Indiana State Department of Health
- Developed and implemented a training program to help long term care facilities create detailed emergency disaster management plans that meet new Center Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations on emergency planning and provide the highest quality of care for older adults in an emergency situation
- Topics covered included:
- Emergency and disaster management (EDM) planning best practices
- Special needs of vulnerable adults in long term care facilities
- CMS regulations
- Collaborative exercises to simulate emergency operations
- Coordinated training content by bringing together subject matter experts Dr. Kara Cecil (UIndy Public Health Program) and Mr. Bill Reckert (UIndy Department of Criminal Justice) and best practice literature to provide most effective content
- Scheduled, planned and executed both face-to-face and virtual training sessions
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Provided educational and practical opportunities for long term care (LTC) professionals to learn about and implement strategies for integrating the expressive arts into LTC.
- Sought to improve health outcomes and quality of life measures for long term care residents in participating facilities, demonstrated by:
- reduced rates of depression
- improved resident satisfaction surveys
- reduced rates of challenging behaviors
- EA modalities included were drama, writing/memoir, music, dance, and visual art.
- Offered trainings in multiple locations across Indiana and also involved Indiana's regional quality improvement collaboratives.
- Expressive Arts for Long-Term Care Professionals was awarded the 2017 Promising Practice for Education and Communication by the Association of Health Facility Survey Agencies.
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Worked with content experts and organizations to provide advanced education for health care professionals working in long term care facilities across the state
- Topics included:
- Quality Improvement
- Infection Prevention
- Wound Care
- Care of Persons with Dementia
- Aimed to create a critical mass of skilled healthcare professionals in long-term care facilities with specialized training in these areas
- Prepared course participants to pursue related certifications in each content area.
- Offered trainings in multiple locations across Indiana
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Developed training for three separate audiences:
- Infection Preventionists:
- Developed and implemented a 15-hour training for nursing home professionals specializing in infection prevention, which was delivered both in person and virtually.
- The training was designed to serve as an introduction to infection control with long term care specific content and examples and to meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ regulations for Infection Prevention Specialists working in long term care nursing facilities.
- Paraprofessionals:
- Developed and disseminated a five-part infection prevention training designed for paraprofessionals (CNAs, Dietary, Environmental Services) in the nursing home.
- The training was delivered to paraprofessionals by infection preventionists who attended the professionals training.
- Residents and Families:
- Developed and disseminated a booklet suitable for distribution to residents and their families that covered basics of infection prevention in the nursing home.
- Client: The Trustees of Indiana University
- Served as a subcontractor to Indiana University on a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Oversaw all aspects of education and training of primary nurse contacts over the eight years of the OPTIMISTIC project
- Coordinated training content by bringing together subject matter experts and best practice literature to provide most effective content
- Scheduled, planned and executed training sessions
- Coordinated and/or provided training experts to conduct training sessions
- Client: Indiana Department of Health
- Contracted by the Indiana Department of Health to work on its implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Project Firstline
- Creating online videos to serve as training resources for frontline workers based on infection prevention and COVID-19 related topics determined in Phase 1.
- Client: Indiana Department of Health Trauma & Injury Prevention Division
- Provide train-the-trainer and direct education in an evidence-based falls prevention program for older adults
- Client: The Trustees of Indiana University
- Served as a subcontractor to Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health on an ECHO program geared for nursing home leadership to build capacity related to COVID-19 and to protect residents and staff
- Identified subject matter experts including a geriatrician and a nurse infection preventionist to deliver content provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Coordinated 32 weeks of program delivery via an online platform for 3 separate cohorts of LTC leadership across the state of Indiana
- Provided online repository of resources for participants and managed weekly communication
- Client: Probari, Inc.
- Developed, in conjunction with Probari and long-term care experts, a half-day curriculum for Indiana National Guard troops deployed to Indiana nursing homes to provide support to staff caring for residents amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
- Was part of the team that delivered seven trainings to more than 1,400 troops at Indiana's Camp Atterbury
- Client: Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities, in conjunction with the Indiana University Center on Aging and Community
- Development of a five-day training course with a companion workbook for older people and persons with disabilities to enable them to become effective advocates for livable communities concepts. To receive a copy of the companion workbook, please cac@uindy.edu.