Aging and Mental Health Research | Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | UC Davis Health

Addressing inappropriate benzodiazepine prescribing among older Veterans

Description
The aim of this mixed methods project is to identify VA facilities that successfully reduce new and chronic benzodiazepine prescribing and identify “best practices” that can be used in a variety of organizational contexts.

Funding
Veterans Affairs’ Health Services Research and Development Service

Co-Investigator
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator
Donovan Maust, M.D.
University of Michigan 

Advancing Alzheimer’s family caregiving interventions and research capacity in Vietnam

Description
The goal of this project is to test a culturally adapted dementia caregiver intervention in Vietnam and to strengthen research capacity through the development of a research network and mentored pilot projects.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging

Principal Investigator
Ladson Hinton, M.D.
lwhinton@ucdavis.edu

Apathy in nursing home residents with dementia: impact of caregiver communication

Description
This project will assess the magnitude and duration of apathy symptoms in nursing home residents with Alzheimers and related dementias (ADRD). To do so, the investigators will conduct secondary analyses of existing video data from a completed NIH-funded clinical trial in which 465 videos were recorded from 46 residents in 12 NHs during routine care activities at multiple time points over 5-9 months. Apathy symptoms and caregiver communication qualities will be assessed using second-by-second video coding.

Funding
National Institutes of Health

Co-Investigator
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator
Ying-Ling Jao, Ph.D., R.N.
Penn State College of Nursing

Efficacy of the WeCareAdvisor, an online tool for managing dementia behavioral symptoms

Description
The focus of this study is to assess the efficacy of WeCareAdvisor, an online tool designed to help caregivers manage behavioral symptoms in dementia patients. The utilization of this novel tool has potential to impact dementia care by providing caregivers with on-demand access to Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) management strategies.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / Drexel University

Co-Principal Investigators
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Laura N. Gitlin, Ph.D.
Drexel University 

Innovations bridging clinics and communities to advance late life depression care

Description
The overall goal of this initiative (CARE-PARNTERS) is to advance care for late life depression through innovative collaboration that bridges primary care clinics, community-based organizations and families. 

Funding
Archstone Foundation

Principal Investigator, UC Davis subcontract 
Ladson Hinton, M.D.
lwhinton@ucdavis.edu

Leveraging large-scale national data to understand, reduce, and prevent benzodiazepine-related harms among older adults

Description
The goals of this project are: 1) describe the patient, provider, and community characteristics associated with BZD initiation and continuation; 2) among BZD users, determine specific risk factors associated with misuse and overdose; these data will be used to develop a clinical prediction tool; and 3) conduct semi-structured interviews with providers and patients to package and script the use of the clinical prediction tool for PCPs.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Drug Abuse

Co-Investigator
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator
Donovan Maust, M.D.
University of Michigan

Patient, Caregiver, and Regional Drivers of Potentially Inappropriate Medical Care for Dementia: Building the Foundation for State Dementia Policy

Description
The aims of this project are to: 1) Identify factors associated with potentially inappropriate care delivered to community-dwelling adults with age-related dementia and establish accurate national and state-level estimates of this care; 2) Determine the contribution of additional patient clinical, functional, caregiver, and caregiving characteristics to potentially inappropriate care relative to location; and 3) Develop an evidence-based policy making guide for dementia that for interviewing state aging policy officials.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging

Co-Investigator
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator
Donovan Maust, M.D.
University of Michigan 

Reducing disparities in ADRD research participation among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Description
The goal of the CARE project is to reduce disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) research participation among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) through the creation of a registry of AAPI who are interested in participating in various types of ADRD research.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging

Co-Investigator
Ladson Hinton, M.D.
lwhinton@ucdavis.edu

The Apple Tree Programme: Active Prevention in People at risk of dementia

Description
The APPLE Tree programme will provide evidence about the effectiveness of the secondary prevention of dementia in people who are already at increased risk through lifestyle, behavior change and technology interventions. The aim of the proposal is to target “lifestyle” factors that are amenable to intervention, and to use a multidisciplinary approach towards studying the effectiveness and implementation of new interventions to help build resilience.

Funding
University of London, Economic and Social Research Council

Co-Investigator
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator
Claudia Cooper
Professor of Psychiatry of Old Age
University College London

The Partnership in Implementation Science for Geriatric Mental Health

Description
The overall goal of the proposed Partnership in Implementation Science for Geriatric Mental Health (PRISM) project is to establish a hub to integrate implementation research for scaling up sustainable, evidence-based mental health interventions with research capacity-building activities for East Asia.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Mental Health

Co-Investigator
Ladson Hinton, M.D.
lwhinton@ucdavis.edu

Unintended consequences: the impact of VA antipsychotic reduction efforts in dementia

Description
The goals of this study are: 1) determine system-level Veterans Affairs (VA) national in psychotropic use among patients with dementia since the first black-box warning (2005) to 2014; 2) examine variables that may be associated with AP prescribing in dementia; and 3) validate additional quality indicators for VA patients with dementia.

Funding
Veterans Affairs’ Health Services Research and Development Service

Co-Investigator
Helen Kales, M.D.
hckales@ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator
Kara Zivin, Ph.D.
University of Michigan Medical School

Vietnamese Insights into Cognitive Aging Program (VIP)

Description
For this project, we will develop an unprecedented longitudinal study of 540 older Vietnamese Americans in the Sacramento and Santa Clara areas to begin addressing the dearth of cognitive aging research in this population. We will examine cognition at baseline and cognitive decline, as well as rates of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. We will investigate how early life adversity, trauma, socio-contextual, psychosocial factors, cardiovascular health, and cardiovascular disease risk factors, impact cognitive outcomes.

Funding
National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging

Co-Investigator
Ladson Hinton, M.D.
lwhinton@ucdavis.edu