Warner School taps late-life 'experts'

he "resident experts" of nursing homes will help researchers at the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development explore new ways to educate nursing home workers, thanks to a $230,000 grant.

The grant from the New York State Department of Health will help fund a curriculum study carried out by a Warner School team in partnership with ViaHealth HillHaven, a local nursing home, and Lifespan of Greater Rochester, a community-based agency dedicated to serving people in the second half of life.

The goal of the project is to use the firsthand knowledge of nursing home residents, staff, and family members to rethink the curriculum for nursing home workers.

The plan--devised by Dale Dannefer, project director and professor at the University, doctoral fellow Paul Stein, and colleagues from Lifespan--involves the creation of small work groups of residents, staff, and family members.

The project is aimed not only at improving the satisfaction of both staff and residents with the way the work is done, but also with combating problems of staff motivation and morale, which are accompanied by high staff turnover rates and staff shortages.

Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Public Relations.