Practically Speaking
Fall 2021

This fall the Donaghue Foundation added an award to its Another Look-Research to Improve Health for Older Adults in Long Term Care Facilities program. Since the beginning of the program in 2013, the Another Look grant program has awarded $5.5 million dollars in funding for research that has the near-term potential to improve health for older adults living in long-term care facilities.

Recovery After Transfer to a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital for COVID-19 (RAFT COVID) among Older Adults
Anil N. Makam, MD, MAS
University of California, San Francisco
Organization Name: National Association of Long Term Hospitals

Each year, over 100,000 hospitalized older adults survive a critical illness and are transferred to a long-term acute care hospital to recover. Long-term acute care hospital are post-acute care facilities for patients who often need months of additional therapy, many of whom are older adults weaning from mechanical ventilation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term acute care hospital have cared for many convalescing older adults with COVID-19 who are the most susceptible to developing long-term sequelae. Yet, little is known about their survival and recovery from severe and prolonged COVID-19, including functioning and cognition. These are important, patient-centered outcomes that are most salient to the well-being and health of older adults and their caregivers and comprise the geriatric syndromes that persists after illness. The researchers will leverage a collaborative relationship with National Association of Long Term Hospitals, an organization that has facilitated sharing of patient assessment data from 38 long-term acute care hospitals across the U.S on approximately 2,500 older adults with COVID-19. The study will characterize geriatric syndromes and outcomes, identify risk factors and develop prognostic models, and examine for racial and ethnic disparities in recovery. The hypotheses being tested are that older adults transferred to long-term acute care hospital for COVID-19 will have a high incidence of geriatric syndromes at discharge, will be worse by risk factors, and will reveal persistent racial and ethnic disparities. Knowledge gained from this study will inform medical care (i.e., decision making, goals-of-care, end-of-life planning), health policy, and guide interventions for older adults with severe and prolonged COVID-19 illness. This evidence is needed for this vulnerable population who typically transition to other congregate care settings, such as nursing homes.