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Research Projects

Research 

Since 2010, the PCEAL lab research team (Dobbs, PI) has led a series of pilot studies to develop a palliative care education intervention for staff in assisted living communities in collaboration with area hospice organizations in Florida, with the goal of expanding it to other states.   

Current Funded 

Preparing Assisted Living Staff to Care for Persons with Dementia: Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living (PCEAL) for Dementia Care Providers
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute on Aging
9/15/2024-8/31/2027
Amount: $1,866,197

Researchers from the School of Aging Studies at ¹ú²ú¶ÌÊÓƵ(Dobbs, PI, and Peterson, Meng, and Haley, Co-Is) will be collaborating with investigators from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Miami, Ohio, Penn State, University of Iowa, Workforce & Quality Innovations, and community hospices from Chapters Health Systems and Empath Health for this NIH Stage 3 cluster randomized trial with the objective to implement a four-week palliative care education intervention for staff in assisted living (AL) caring for persons living with dementia. The primary aim will be to compare the intervention group versus the control group on quality-of-care outcomes from baseline to six months including increased documentation of advance care planning discussions and rates of hospice admission in a sample of residents with dementia from 30 assisted living communities in Florida. A second aim is to test if the PCEAL intervention changes staff self-efficacy and perceived organizational support, and as a result improves job satisfaction and commitment. The team will also test the feasibility of collecting family satisfaction-with-care outcome data. Initial funding is three years with an additional two years of funding contingent on successful progress.

Previous Funded 

Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living for Care Providers of Residents with Dementia Florida Department of Health Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program
(Grant No 9AZ26) Dobbs, Debra (PI). 02/01/19 – 07/31/21
Award Amount: $250,000
We propose to conduct a two-year cluster randomized trial (CRT) among 12 AL facilities (k=12) and PWD (N=225) with a baseline, 3, and 6 months post-intervention to examine the quality of care outcomes for PWD: 1) appropriate hospice referral and use; 2) increased assessment of pain; and 3) increased documentation of advance care planning.

Feasibility of Implementing the Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living (PCEAL) Program.
College of Behavioral and Community Sciences 2016 Faculty Internal Awards Program.
Principal Investigator -- Debra Dobbs 02/01/2016 - 01/31/2017.
This study tested an intervention using the Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living program at baseline, 3 and 6 months and examined quality of care outcomes (pain, hospice use, documentation of advance directives) in a sample of residents (N=30) from 3 ALs in Florida. 

Adoptability and Implementation of the Quality Improvement Palliative Care Training Program for Staff in Assisted Living Settings.
Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships, ¹ú²ú¶ÌÊÓƵ
Dobbs, D. (PI) 07/01/13 to 06/30/14
Award Amount: $7,500.
In collaboration with community partner Brookdale Senior Living, this project examined the barriers and facilitators of implementing an evidence-based palliative care training program in assisted living (AL) for administrative, nursing and paraprofessional staff in a sample of 30 administrators, nurses, certified nursing assistants and hospice nurses from ten ALs and two hospice organizations in the Tampa, FL area. Methods include focus groups and survey data. An advisory board committee made recommendations for implementation. 

Hospice Use and End of Life Care Practices in Florida Assisted Living Facilities.  
¹ú²ú¶ÌÊÓƵ Internal Award - New Researcher Grant  
Principal Investigator: Debra Dobbs, PhD    Dates:  06/01/09 to 05/31/10  
Award Amount: $10,000
The overall aims of the project were: 1) to describe hospice use patterns of residents in assisted living; 2) describe end of life practices in assisted living facilities; and 3) examine the relationship between facility characteristics and practices specific to end of life quality of care outcomes.