New free questionnaires can improve the care and quality of life of older adults in assisted living through person-centered practices

The Toolkit for Person-Centeredness in Assisted Living was developed through a close partnership between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the national Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL), along with assisted living providers, residents, family members, and organizational representatives. Available for free download, the Toolkit includes questionnaires to be completed by assisted living residents and staff, and simple, easy-to-follow instructions for scoring and interpreting the results. The questionnaires measure Person-Centered Practices in Assisted Living, and are called the PC-PAL.

Gun violence, simple solutions, and mental health workforce shortage

It often takes a crisis to help us see a real problem that has been ignored for too long. One positive result that might yet emerge from the tethering of gun violence and mental health is a concerted, nationwide response to the mental health workforce crisis.  Sheps researchers, Kathleen C. Thomas, Alan R. Ellis, and… Read more »

Sheryl Zimmerman to lead Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section of the Gerontological Society of America.

The members of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) – comprising nearly 6,000 researchers, educators, and practitioners, all dedicated to the field of aging – elected Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-term Care Co-Director, Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, to lead the Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section of GSA.  Dr. Zimmerman will take office during GSA’s… Read more »

Frequent in-person home visits can reduce both readmission and death for patients with heart failure

CHAPEL HILL- Home-visiting programs and multidisciplinary heart failure clinic interventions can reduce hospital readmission and improve survival for patients with heart failure, according to research from RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The work, based on a report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), was published… Read more »

Medications can help adults with alcohol use disorders reduce drinking

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Several medications can help people with alcohol use disorders maintain abstinence or reduce drinking, according to research from the RTI International-University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center. The work, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides… Read more »

Sheps Center Child Health Program has a New Director & a New Website

Dr Betsy Sleath, distinguished Professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy and long-time Sheps Center investigator, has recently agreed to take over as Program Director for the Child Health Services Program.  Betsy has worked on children’s health issues for many years, examining efficacy and adherence issues of medication use in this vulnerable population, with additional… Read more »

Assisted Living Comparison Experts website featured as UNC’s Spotlight Story

The Assisted Living Comparison Experts website www.alce.unc.edu is featured as UNC’s Spotlight Story.  Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-term Care co-directors Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD and Philip Sloane, MD, MPH were interviewed about their website, which provides information on all licensed adult and family care settings in North Carolina in a user-friendly format, and is designed… Read more »

New NCIOM Task Force on Essentials for Childhood

The goal of the NCIOM Task Force on Essentials for Childhood is to develop an integrated, comprehensive 5-year strategic plan to coordinate and prioritize the services, programs and/or policies of a number of state agencies that will build on New Directions for NC. Thus, the Task Force will increase the capacity at the state and… Read more »

New published research: Communication About ADHD and Its Treatment During Pediatric Asthma Visits

Betsy Sleath has a new article published in the Community Mental Health Journal entitled Communication About ADHD and Its Treatment During Pediatric Asthma Visits.  Additional authors include Sandra H. Sulzer, Delesha M. Carpenter, Catherine Slota, Christopher Gillette, Robyn Sayner, Stephanie Davis and Adrian Sandler This study looked at provider-family communication about attention deficit disorder (ADHD) during… Read more »