
Research Focus \| Improving the Senior Living Workforce \| Supporting Family Caregivers \| Promoting Wellness & Vitality \| Memory Care: Alzheimer's

Institute Awards

2011

		Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging was awarded $10,000 from the Verizon Foundation to support development, implementation, and evaluation of a program to improve electronic health literacy among older adults in Chicago. The program will offer participants training in skills needed to navigate the large amount of health information available on the web and empower them to make decisions that best support their well-being.
		A grant from The Coleman Foundation was awarded to Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, Clearbrook, and the Center for Independent Futures to develop and implement *F.I.I.V.E Chicago* (Fostering Intergenerational, Inclusive Volunteer Engagement in Chicago). F.I.I.V.E Chicago is an intergenerational volunteer program in which young people with disabilities (ages 14 – 29) and older adult mentors (ages 55 and better) together engage in service to their communities.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a $70,000 contract to conduct a pilot study from Work/Family Directions, Inc. to offer Empower Online for IBM employees who are caring for older adults in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
		Wisdom Works, a volunteer model used in the Empowering Grandparents grant from the National Council on Aging (NCOA), was named a national model by NCOA and received a grant to disseminate learning's in 2011.

2010

		Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging received the New Product & Technology Award from Mature Market Resource Center for Aging in Action. This national program recognizes the best technologies, products, and services for older adults and their families.
		Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging received the Erickson Foundation Award for Excellence in Research in Positive Aging at the 2010 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Exposition in Denver for the development, testing, and implementation of the Whole-Person Wellness Assessment. The Erickson Foundation created this award to "celebrate research that explores aspects of active, healthy aging, particularly creating healthy communities."
		Mather Pavilion and Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging received the OPTIMA Award, which was bestowed by Long-Term Living magazine. The award, conferred by a jury of long-term care peers, recognizes long-term care residences that are proactive with programs that go "above and beyond" routine care for residents. Through measurable outcomes, such as 10 consecutive years of nursing staff turnover results better than state and national rates and consistently high resident and family satisfaction scores, the OPTIMA Award acknowledges Mather Pavilion's successes in demonstrating that LEAP is a sustainable workforce initiative.
		A grant from The Coleman Foundation was awarded to Clearbrook and Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging to support implementation and evaluation of GRACE: Generating Resources for Aging Through Collaborative Energies. This program offers education and experiential learning opportunities to managers and staff working with the growing number of aging adults with developmental disabilities in day and residential service organizations in the Chicagoland area.
		A grant from Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging was awarded to Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of a region-specific emergency preparedness program for senior living providers that will include Web-based resources and in-person education.
		Mather LifeWays received a grant from the Kansas Department of Public Health to support four statewide PREPARE workshops that will reach nearly 200 senior living providers.
		Mather LifeWays partnered with the GRANDFamilies Program of Chicago to develop and implement a curriculum for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program. It is supported by two independent grants from The Chicago Community Trust and the National Council on Aging.
		A grant was awarded to Mather LifeWays from Work/Family Directions, Inc. to develop and implement a culturally-specific version of Empower Online for IBM employees who are caring for older adults in China.
		The American Medical Directors Association selected LEAP as a recipient of the 2010 AMDA Foundation/Evercare Award for improving the quality of life of persons living in nursing homes.
		Mather LifeWays and Benten Technologies received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the Centers for Disease Control. The new grant supports development of an online disaster preparedness planning system.

2009

		The Armed Forces Veterans Homes Foundation and the National Association of State Veterans Homes funded implementation of LEAP 101 for 15 of their state veterans homes. The grant also supports LEAP annual license renewals for 33 of their communities nationwide.
		Mather LifeWays and Benten Technologies received a second Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will enable full development of a mobile device that researchers and practitioners in adult day, assisted living, and skilled care settings can use to assess the quality of life of people with dementia.
		Mather LifeWays and Life Services Network, the Illinois affiliate of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, were awarded funding from the Illinois Department of Public Health to implement and evaluate a cultural diversity training program targeting all disciplines in licensed long-term care communities. This 12-month grant includes 12 train-the-trainer workshops and supporting online course involving nearly 120 communities across Illinois.
		Mather LifeWays received the award for Excellence in Program Innovation from the Archstone Foundation for PREPARE. The award was created in conjunction with the American Public Health Association to recognize best practice models in gerontology and geriatrics. One award is given each year.
		Mather LifeWays is partnering with the GRANDFamilies Program of Chicago to develop and implement a curriculum for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program, supported by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.
		A grant from the John Oishei Foundation will bring LEAP to 30 long-term care residences in Western New York State during fall 2009.
		Two training grants were awarded to Mather LifeWays to support PREPARE workshops in Kansas and Michigan during the summer 2009.
		Mather LifeWays Senior Research Associate was the recipient of the American Society on Aging Graduate Student Research award. The Award is presented annually to one graduate student for research relevant to aging.

2008

Mather LifeWays will work with Life Services Network, the Illinois affiliate of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, to implement and evaluate a communication skills training program targeting all disciplines in licensed long-term care communities. This 12-month grant includes 12 train-the-trainer workshops and supporting online course involving nearly 150 communities across Illinois.

Mather LifeWays and Benten Technologies, Herndon, VA, received a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a new and innovative technology system for improving the assessment of quality of life in older persons with dementia. The practical, information-generation system combines the Mather LifeWays tool, Observing Quality of Life in Dementia (OQOLD), with handheld PCs that will enable professional caregivers to maximize the well-being of people with dementia in long-term care communities, assisted living communities, and adult day programs.

National Religious Retirement Office

Mather LifeWays worked with the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., to implement a grant that will provide a proven successful training program in person-centered care to religious institutes they serve. The 18-month grant was awarded by the Retirement Research Foundation to support the project, Staff Training and Education in Person-Centered Care for U.S. Catholic Retired Women and Men Religious: Phase Two.

Mather LifeWays received a two-year grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health to implement SAFE-TI in 100 nursing homes in Illinois. SAFE-TI, a multicomponent toolkit that was developed and pilot-tested by Mather LifeWays, is expected to increase knowledge of falls reduction strategies.

2007

		PREPARE, a Mather LifeWays program for improving emergency preparedness in senior living residences, was awarded a third year of funding from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The additional funds will allow Mather LifeWays to reach long-term care providers in all 50 states.
		PREPARE, a Mather LifeWays program for improving emergency preparedness in senior living residences, was awarded the 2007 Healthcare and Aging Award from the American Society on Aging. PREPARE also was awarded additional funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) for further expansion.
		The Illinois Department of Public Health awarded a two-year grant to further study and disseminate The S.E.L.F. Program and Observing Quality of Life in Dementia (OQOLD), two Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging-developed programs that support older adults with memory loss.
		Mather LifeWays received the Best Practice Award from the Health Promotion Institute of the National Council on Aging for Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging's Resident Whole-Person Wellness Survey.

2006

		At the international conference, Reflecting on 100 Years of Alzheimer's: The Global Impact on Quality of Lives, hosted at Ohio's Case Western University, the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging presentation, "OQOLD: A Tool For Improving Research and Practice Via An Activity-Focused, Wellness-Based Quality of Life Assessment Procedure," won third place for outstanding poster presentation.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant from the American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care (ABC) toexpand Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) Online to IBM employees in Latin America, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. The National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) and The Retirement Research Foundation funded Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging to develop a training program that educates front-line staff in best practices of person-centered care.
		PREPARE, a Mather LifeWays program for improving emergency preparedness in senior living residences, was awarded a supplemental grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to deliver the program to all 50 states.

2005

		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant from the American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care (ABC) to convert Making Sense of Memory Loss, a memory support training program co-developed by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging and the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, into an online training tool.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a two-year grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to implement and evaluate a new version of Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC).
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop PREPARE.
		The Alzheimer's Association awarded a grant to study the practical applications of a Mather LifeWays-developed measure called Observing Quality of Life in Dementia (OQOLD).
		The Illinois Department of Public Health awarded funding to expand LEAP, the Mather LifeWays long-term care nursing staff training program, to all licensed skilled care centers throughout Illinois.

2004

		The Mather LifeWays LEAP program was selected by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) to receive the 2004 Excellence in Practice Award.
		The American Society on Aging (ASA), in collaboration with the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, recognized LEAP with the 2004 Healthcare and Aging Award for innovative and quality programs.
		The Gerontological Society of America Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization awarded the 2004 Outstanding Student Poster Award to a Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging Research Assistant.
		Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging was named managing editor of *Seniors Housing & Care Journal*, the journal of the National Investment Center (NIC) Seniors Housing and Care Program at Johns Hopkins University.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant from the American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care (ABC) to develop Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) Online for use by employees of IBM, Texas Instruments, and Exxon-Mobil.

2003

		The American Society on Aging (ASA), in collaboration with the Extendicare Foundation, awarded LEAP for a 21^st Century Long-Term Care Workforce an honorable mention for the 2003 Recognizing Innovative Programs in the Recruitment, Retention and Promotion of Nursing Assistants in Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities Awards program.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant for LEAP: Enhancing Long-Term Care Nurse Retention and Resident Care Quality, which is funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2002

		Mather LifeWays received second place for "Building the Foundation for Quality Improvement: LEAP for a Quality Long-Term Care Workforce," published in Seniors Housing & Care Journal, the journal of the National Investment Center (NIC) Seniors Housing and Care Program at Johns Hopkins University.
		LEAP was recognized and featured by the National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce in the Practice Profile Database, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant from the Community Memorial Foundation to test the benefits of Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) through faith-based communities.
		Mather LifeWays was awarded a grant for Mather Geriatric Regional Faculty Development Network, which is funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.