$5 Million Grant to OU Continues Work of Oklahoma Dementia Care Network

With a $5 million federal grant renewal, the University of Oklahoma is expanding the efforts of the Oklahoma Dementia Care Network. The program, which involves partners across the state, aims to improve health outcomes for people living with dementia and their caregivers through statewide geriatric workforce development.

Dementia is most often diagnosed in older adults, who face significant challenges in Oklahoma. In 2023, Oklahoma ranked 48^th in the nation for early death among older adults, 46^th for physical activity, 41^st in experiencing mental distress and 40^th in experiencing multiple chronic conditions. Only 35% of older adults live within Oklahoma’s two urban areas, leaving 65% many miles away from specialized geriatric care. By 2025, Oklahoma’s older adult population is estimated to exceed 750,000.

With the Oklahoma Dementia Care Network, OU is working to improve the quality of life for older adults through several primary objectives: helping staff at existing clinics and nursing homes become more skilled in caring for people with dementia; placing current OU nursing, medicine and social work students in rural clinics and nursing homes for training; and providing support and resources to people with dementia and their caregivers.

“We have a great opportunity to support and grow the geriatric workforce in Oklahoma,” said Lee Jennings, M.D., an OU Health geriatrician and associate professor of geriatrics in the OU College of Medicine. “Our frail older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment who have difficulty navigating their own health care tasks, are vulnerable and at risk.” Jennings is leading the grant work through the primary grant recipient, the OU College of Medicine. Other collaborating colleges include the Hudson College of Public Health and the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing on OU’s Health Sciences campus, and the Zarrow School of Social Work on OU’s Norman campus.

The Oklahoma Dementia Care Network was established five years ago with the initial federal grant awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Stakeholder’s Advisory Council was established with 77 members from 26 different community, state, tribal and academic partners across Oklahoma.

The network’s achievements over the past five years include training 1,578 nursing home direct-care workers in dementia-specific care; supporting 10 primary care clinics and nine nursing homes as they achieved national Age-Friendly Health System recognition; training 586 family caregivers; creating a dementia training program for community health workers; and delivering aging- and dementia-sensitivity training annually to over 330 health profession students at OU.

In this second iteration of the grant, that work continues, but with a larger focus on tribal, rural and medically underserved areas, each of which significantly overlaps the others in Oklahoma. OU nursing, medicine and social work students will train at several rural nursing homes, a federally qualified health center, and several tribal health facilities, learning skills that are both evidence-based and culturally relevant. Notably, the students learn how to care for older patients as an interdisciplinary team rather than siloed health professionals.

“The students get to see how their individual disciplines work together to improve the care of the patient,” Jennings said. “There may be a medical or prescribing issue that the physician is managing, and the nurse may be thinking about how the patient can carry out their daily activities at home. The social worker may be thinking about community resources that could be utilized or how the patient’s social determinants of health are impacting care. When students feel like they’re part of a valuable team that is making a difference, that’s very fulfilling. And we hope by exposing our students to the care of older adults, they will consider it for their own future careers.”

The need for additional nursing home care providers is especially great in Oklahoma. OU College of Nursing students will have several additional opportunities to immerse themselves in geriatric care. For example, students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will participate in eight-week clinical rotations at a rural nursing home. In addition, nursing home and dementia care topics will be integrated into the curriculums used by students seeking bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral nursing practice degrees.

“This curriculum’s focus on geriatric care is consistent with the College of Nursing’s strategic goal of creating and maintaining innovative programs and partnerships that accelerate the development of nurses who exemplify excellence in practice. The college has been involved in geriatric care since 1995 through its case management practice and through its recognition as a Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence,” said Melissa Craft, Ph.D., interim dean of the OU College of Nursing.

Another new initiative involves working with nursing homes to create career advancement opportunities for certified nursing assistants. The training required for CNAs in Oklahoma is 75 hours, and the median annual salary is only $16 an hour. Turnover tends to be high in nursing homes, but a career ladder could start to change that. Grant leaders plan to create a new apprenticeship program in collaboration with the OU College of Nursing, Oklahoma’s Career Technology Centers, and the Oklahoma State Department of Health to help qualified CNAs advance their training to LPN (licensed practical nurse) and then to the level of BSN (bachelor of science in nursing).

The Oklahoma Dementia Care Network also prioritizes caregiver support. Through in-person and virtual classes, caregivers and other supportive care workers learn tools to care for their loved ones and themselves during times of stress and grief.

“Dementia management is different from the management of other diseases because you really have to engage caregivers,” Jennings said. “As the disease progresses, the person needs more and more support, not just for their dementia, but for other areas of their health. If they don’t take their medications for heart disease, for example, they’re at risk for their heart problems getting worse. They may end up being hospitalized for reasons not directly related to dementia.

“The work of the Oklahoma Dementia Care Network is exciting because we are trying to expand access to high-quality dementia care by growing our workforce, as well as making health care overall more age-friendly and dementia-friendly,” she added. “The work is very fulfilling, and we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of older adults and those who care for them.”

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About the project

The federal grant funding for the Oklahoma Dementia Care Network was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, under award number U1QHP53063-01-00. For more information about the Oklahoma Dementia Care Network, visit its website at www.okdcn.org.