Dr. Noll Campbell Named Scientist at IU Center for Aging Research and Regenstrief Institute
October, 2010

Since arriving at Wishard Health Services in 2004, Noll Campbell, PharmD, GCP, has honed his clinical skills and collaborated as a highly valued member of inpatient and outpatient interdisciplinary geriatric care teams. IU Geriatrics faculty and staff know him as their favorite geriatric clinical pharmacist—the expert they go to when seeking answers about aging pharmacology. What began as a clinical interest in the use of medications and cognitive function in older adults evolved into research collaborations with Healthy Aging Brain Center Research Director, Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH. Armed with a new title, research assistant professor in the Purdue College of Pharmacy, Dr. Campbell is pursuing career training to become an independently-funded aging brain pharmaco-epidemiologist. He has joined the IU Center for Aging Research as a center scientist and Regenstrief Institute as an investigator.

Read about Dr. Campbell in the October 2010 IU GERIATRICS e-news.

Dr. Callahan Begins New R01, Alzheimer’s Disease Multiple Intervention Trial Project
August, 2010

In a study funded by the National Institute on Aging, Chris Callahan, MD is building on a previous R01 clinical trial that demonstrated the effectiveness of collaborative care for older adults with Alzheimer's disease cared for in primary care practices. The new study, the Alzheimer’s Disease Multiple Intervention Trial Project, is a two-year, randomized, controlled clinical trial to improve functioning among older adults with Alzheimer's disease comparing a control group receiving best practices primary care with an intervention group receiving best practice primary care PLUS a home-based occupational therapy intervention.

In addition to building on Dr. Callahan’s past research, the study also builds from reported research which demonstrates the short-term efficacy of home-based occupational therapy interventions among older adults with dementia. Previous trials have shown that older adults with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, can both participate in and benefit from occupational therapy-based interventions delivered in the home. ADMIT will test a home-based intervention specifically designed to slow the rate of functional decline among older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

Read about ADMIT in the August 2010 IU GERIATRICS e-news.

GRACE Dissemination Under Way at Indianapolis VAMC
July, 2010

The January 2010 IU GERIATRICS e-news announced that the Veterans Administration had funded “Dissemination of GRACE Care Management to At Risk Older Veterans” at the Indianapolis VA.

How does GRACE Medical Director Usha Subramanian, MD, MS, describe the personnel assembled to implement the GRACE care management model at the Indianapolis VA?

“I call the GRACE team my Dream Team,” notes Dr. Subramanian. “We hired several team members in April to complete the core disciplines needed for success of GRACE--geriatrics, nursing, social work, pharmacy, and mental health.” The model targets Veterans aged 65 or older who receive primary health care at the Indianapolis VA and who are at risk for institutional extended care

GRACE is initiated during the hospital stay to assist with discharge planning and transitional care, thus helping to avert readmissions and providing early access to alternatives to institutional extended care. Seventy patients are currently enrolled in the program.

Read the June-July 2010 IU GERIATRICS e-news to learn how the VA Dream Team implements the key components of GRACE--the preparation, practice and execution of the game.

Read more about GRACE.