Edson Discovery Pilot Award winners announced

Congratulations to the teams who were selected for the third annual Edson Discovery Pilot Awards for Dementia Caregiving.

Each project will receive $25,000 to conduct pilot studies in dementia caregiving and obtain strong preliminary data to support external grant funding.

This year’s recipients are: 

Principal Investigator: Allie Peckham

Project: Spatial networks among caregivers of people living with dementia

Co-investigators: Aaron Guest, Joe Russo and Keenan Pituch

Project description: The purpose of the study is to develop new insights into the attributes of ADRD caregiver social networks. It will not only test the feasibility of spatial social network (SSN) data collection among caregivers but also identify opportunities to improve caregiver support through network interventions.

Principal Investigator: Derek Manis

Project: Understanding caregiver burden for dementia in assisted living facilities: A mixed methods study

Co-investigators: Allie Peckham and Janet Pohl

Project description: The study aims to conduct a cohort study and in-depth interviews with caregivers of older adults who live with ADRD in assisted living facilities to examine their risk of loneliness and perspectives on care quality. The project comprehensively examines the impact of regulatory policies and quality of care for dementia in assisted living facilities from the perspective of caregivers in Arizona.

This award program is made possible through the generosity of Charlene and J. Orin Edson and is administered by Professor and Edson Chair in Dementia Translational Nursing Science, Fang Yu.