Long term care services are vital to veterans with chronic illness or severe disability, as well as those veterans recently returned from OEF/OIF deployment with traumatic injuries. Studies are also needed concerning the provision of veteran caregiver support and fostering community reintegration. In addition, this portfolio focuses on the aging veteran population by supporting research that contributes to new models of care for an older VA patient population including: aging syndromes (e.g. frailty, immobility, falls, and cognitive impairment); comorbidity within a specific older population (e.g. dementia and hip fractures, nursing home care and congestive heart failure); all settings for older veterans (e.g. residential & home care, informal caregiving and caregiver issues, and transitions between care); end-of-life issues (e.g. hospice / palliative care and quality of dying issues); and other aging related research addressing health outcomes and successful aging in the older veteran population. Long-term care and caregiving are HSR&D priorities, as described in the current Program Announcement of HSR&D Priorities.
For general information about Long Term Care and Aging, please contact:
Lynne S Padgett, PhD
Scientific Portfolio Manager
Health Services Research and Development (14RDH)
Email: Lynne.Padgett@va.gov